Executioner
by Lady Raion
Summary: AU Squinoa Squall is the Angel of Death, Rinoa is the keeper of a vital secret, and Seifer is a renegade angel on a killing spree. How do they all connect? FINISHED!
1. Soulless Eyes

A/N: I'm still struggling to continue "Infatuation of the Rose". But it will go on. Yes, this deals with angels and demons again, but it has a completely different plot.  
  
***A/N: Thanks to the reviewer Tsui for the text advice.  
  
Executioner  
  
A light drizzle of rain fell from the solid wall of gray that was sky, and splattered on the asphalt below, lightly soaking the busy crowd of people that marched relentlessly down the wide sidewalks in a way that was reminiscent of an army of reluctant soldiers, trudging on to the battlefield where they were certain to meet their death.  
  
Among the tired throng one person stood out, a tall man, dressed completely in black. He walked, completely unnoticed by the people around him, to the subway where even more people had gathered.  
  
He tugged up the sleeve on his long black trench coat and checked the silver Rolex that was hidden beneath. If there was much more delay, then he would miss his appointment. Things always went bad when he missed his appointment.  
  
He pushed and shoved his way to the front of the crowd where the subway train was temporarily parked, and was about to take off. The car was filled to capacity, in fact, there were even people hanging out of the open door. He calmly stepped up and pulled several of the people out of the car before stepping in himself, just as the doors were sliding closed. He resisted the urge to grin as the obsceneties of the people he removed reached his ears, and instead just stared back at them, his eyes masked by the large, reflective sunglasses on his face.  
  
About twenty minutes later, he got off at his stop and walked the couple of blocks to the bank where he was expected.  
  
As he neared the bank, the sound of sirens filled his ears, and the flash of red and blue echoed against the gray skyscrapers. A line of plastic yellow was stretched out across the entrance, and cops leaned over the hoods of their cars with their guns leveled at the doors.  
  
He waved a gloved hand in the direction of the police before ducking beneath the police line and walking calmly toward the rotating doors. Inside he could hear gunshots and screams. He was right on schedule.  
  
He walked through the doors just as the bank robbers ran past him, a female hostage held before them at gunpoint. He ignored them, and instead focused on his surroundings.  
  
Five or six people lay sprawled out over the floor, crimson liquid leaking out over the shiny marble. The rest were tied up behind the teller's desk, still alive. Cops rushed in past him, looking for the survivers. He walked over to the corpses and waved a hand over them, slididing his sunglasses up on top of his head as he watched the souls leave their bodies. He gazed around for a brief moment, making sure he had gathered all of the souls from the dead bodies before turning and heading for the door. He had another appointment to make at the hospital.  
  
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]  
  
Across the city, in a train station, a tall, blonde-haired man entered with two other people, having easily gotten past the metal detectors.  
  
"Where do we begin?" asked his female accomplice.  
  
"Wherever we want," he answered. "Who's gonna stop us?"  
  
"You know who will stop us, given the chance," she pointed out.  
  
"Then we won't give him the chance," he answered, then began making his way over to the front desk, his partners following close behind. "I thinks it's time justice is servered, don't you?" he asked them over his shoulder.  
  
"Can I help you?" one of the receptionists asked, smiling.  
  
He jumped on top of the desk and pulled a gun from its place beneath his brown leather coat. Everyone dropped to the floor and screamed, while his two friends wnet to guard the entrance.  
  
"S-sir," the receptionist said, "I think you would have more luck robbing a bank or something."  
  
"Shut up!" he shouted. "This isn't about robbery. This is about justice, the way it should be served!" he wheeled around to face someone behind the desk. "You! You cheated on your wife with her sister, then spent her whole life savings gambling. And you!" he began, turning to someone else, "You hit a man in your car and killed him. But did you ever turn back to see if he was okay? No. You let him die."  
  
"What does that have to do with anything?" someone asked.  
  
He cocked the gun. "Just this."  
  
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]  
  
"Twenty people killed in train station shooting," the nurse said as she watched the news. "How awful. There are some real phsycos in this world."  
  
Rinoa leaned back in her chair in the hospital room, and nodded. "Yeah, that's sad," she said, half-heartedly.  
  
The nurse glanced up at her, a sympathetic look upon her face. "You worry to much. She'll be fine, the doctors said so. Maybe you should go home and get some rest. You look tired."  
  
She shook her head furiously. "No, I'm not leaving. I have this feeling that something bad will happen. I hasve to stay here and make sure she's okay," she replied.  
  
The words had only left her mouth a few seconds ago when suddenly the endless beep of the heart monitor sounded in her ears as the doctors rushed around the small hospital bed, trying desperately to save the frail woman inside it.  
  
Vaguely, she heard one of the doctors yell, "Clear!" but the flat line didn't flench, even slightly. At that moment a strange man wandered into the room, dressed completely in black. Everything had happened so fast, she wasn't sure if she was seeing things right, but after blinking and rubbing her eyes, she realized he was still there. And moreover, she had the undeniable feeling that this would be the man that would take her mother. She stood up quickly, ready to confront this suspicious man.  
  
"Get him out of here!" she exclaimed pointing at him. "He's gonna take her!"  
  
His head jerked around to look straight at her, an eyebrow arched in confushion. The doctors followed the invisible trail to where her finger pointed, but found nothing.  
  
"Ms. Heartilly, I think you're delusional. Just calm down, we're doing everything we can for your mother!" one of the doctors explained.  
  
Fresh tears began to brim in her eyes as she stared at him, pain and fear colliding in her eyes. He stared back at her, knowing he had a job to do, but being rooted to the spot.  
  
"I don't want him in here! I know what he's going to do. Get him out!" she yelled, charging up to him. She looked him straight in the eye, but could only see her reflection in his glasses. He couldn't help but stare back at her, mesmerized not only by the fact that she alone could see him, but he was entranced momentarily, with her eyes. Never before had he stared straight into the eyes of his victims' loved ones. He'd never had to face that look of pain when a person knew they were going to lose someone they loved. For the first time since he had become the Angel of Death, he felt guilty.  
  
"I'm sorry," he murmered, knowing that she would be the only one to hear him, if he was heard at all.  
  
He turned away from her, and looked down at her struggling mother, knowing it was time to end her misery. Behind him, he heard the woman's daughter start to sob as she nearly collapsed to the the ground. He briefly closed his eyes, that unfamiliar feeling of guilt and regret surging through him again. He shook it off as best as he could, and came to stand over Mrs. Heartily, who's face was wracked with pain and suffering. He was supposed to have been there earlier, but he'd had to make an emergency stop at the train station.  
  
"Are you ready?" he asked of her quietly.  
  
She nodded slightly. "Please, make it painless."  
  
He nodded. "Don't worry, Mrs. Heartilly. Where you're going, there won't be anymore pain."  
  
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]  
  
Squall leaned against a wall, trying to catch his breath while he could. It had been a busy day, and it was going to be an even busier night, he felt.  
  
"You actually have time to just sit back and relax?" someone asked from behind him.  
  
Squall shook his head, recognizing the voice immediately. "No, Seifer. There's never time to rest with this job."  
  
"Maybe you shouldn't have taken the job. It seems like it's getting to you."  
  
He shook his head. "It's not that, I just... Somebody actually saw me today. When nobody else did. I didn't think it was possible. And then that thing at the train station. I just missed catching the ones that did this. It couldn't have been a human."  
  
Seifer shrugged. "They'll find out eventually. Anyway, I gotta go. Even us regular angels have work to do."  
  
"Yeah, whatever," Squall replied.  
  
"You're not going to say bye to an old friend? I have a feeling this will be the last time you see me for awhile."  
  
Squall frowned, "Got to hell Seifer."  
  
"I also have the feeling you'll regret saying that."  
  
Before the words, "Whatever" could escape from Squall's lips, Seifer had dissapeared. It was just as well. Squall had things he had to do also. As he was leaving his comfortable spot against the side of a church, he heard someone call to him.  
  
"Squall, you're not leaving so soon, are you?"  
  
He turned around to see a blonde-haired woman standing behind him, a smug smile on her face.  
  
"Who are you? What do want from me?"  
  
"My name is Quistis," she said. "I'm a prophet. I was sent here to tell you of your new mission."  
  
"Mission?" he repeated. "I don't do missions. I just make sure dead people get where they need to go."  
  
Quistis shook her head. "Well, you're going to be an awfully busy reaper unless you do something about this."  
  
"About what?!"  
  
"The incident at the train station wasn't a one time thing. It will happen again, many times over, unless you stop it. It's up to you."  
  
"Me alone?" he asked.  
  
She shook her head. "I am to help you. Along with many others. But first things, first. We have to get the most important person in all of this. This won't be an easy task, mind you. But it is necessary."  
  
"And if I say no?"  
  
"You're duty-bound," she said.  
  
He nodded. "Fine. Who do we need to get to start this thing off?"  
  
Quistis smiled. "You'll see when we get there. For now, just follow me."  
  
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]  
  
  
  
Rinoa was curled up into a ball on her side, her sobs having faded away just slightly. She hadn't wanted to return home, for she knew she couldn't sleep, but after her mother had been removed from the hospital, she didn't know where else to go.  
  
She hadn't slept in days, having been far to concerned about her mother's condition, so eventually, she did begin to nod off. Unfortunately, her sleep was disturbed when she sensed the presence of another person in the bedroom of her apartment.  
  
Rinoa sat up slowly before gazing around the room and finding two shadows at one corner of the room. She clutched her sheets to her chest and gulped down her fear before asking, in a shaken voice, "Who's there?"  
  
Quistis stepped into the dim light that flowed in through the window. "I hate to disturb you," she said. "But you must come with us."  
  
"No," Rinoa replied quickly. "You'll just have to kill me."  
  
"It's not like that," Quistis said. "We don't mean you any harm. You must come with us for your own safety."  
  
"Like I'm gonna buy that bullshit!"  
  
"Squall, perhaps you can talk some sense into her?" Quistis suggested.  
  
"Yeah, a lot of good you do as a prophet," he grumbled before stepping into the light himself.  
  
Before he had a chance to speak, Rinoa jumped out of her bed, forgetting that she wore only a see-through black night gown and panties, and rushed over to him. "It's you! You're the one responsible for my mother's death!" she exclaimed and punched him as hard as she could in the stomach.  
  
Squall, being pre-occupied with that fact that she was stronger than she looked, was unable to speak. Instead, Quistis jumped in.  
  
"He did not kill her. It was simply her time to go. He had to make sure that she got there. You cannot blame him for that."  
  
Rinoa sighed, her head hanging. "I guess so. But what are you? What do you want with me?"  
  
Quistis expected Squall to say something, but once again, she found him distracted. She couldn't tell where his eyes were focused, since he hadn't removed his shades, but she had the feeling they were focused on Rinoa's thinly clad body.  
  
"Perhaps you should cover yourself," she suggested.  
  
Rinoa blushed deeply and pulled one of her sheets over herself.  
  
"Now, answer her question, Squall."  
  
"This will be difficult for you to believe," he began slowly. "I'm the Angel of Death."  
  
She looked away for a long moment, as if sorting out her thoughts, and finally said. "I saw what you did with my mother, so... I believe you," she replied softly. "But what do you want me for?"  
  
"Ask the almighty prophet over there," Squall muttered grumpily.  
  
"I cannot tell you exactly. But I will tell you that you are needed to stop someone very dangerous. We need your help to stop the unneccesary killings. Your life is in danger as well."  
  
"So if I don't help you, I might die?"  
  
Qusits nodded. "Precisely. Realize it or not, you are a very imporant person. You must come with us, to be safe. We will protect you."  
  
"How do I know I can trust you?"  
  
"You don't," Squall spoke up. "But you don't know that you can't trust us, either."  
  
"I don't-"  
  
Just then, there was a commotion at the door, as someone attempted to get in.  
  
"Do you live here with someone else?" Quistis asked.  
  
"No," Rinoa replied. "I live alone. No one has a key to my apartment."  
  
"They've come already. We have to get her out of here," Quistis pointed out.  
  
"How? We can't use the front door," Squall pointed out. "And we're eleven stories up. This wouldn't be a problem for me, but since you two are human..."  
  
"We'll have to hide," Quistis said. "Squall, you have to protect Rinoa. You'll have to use your abilities to shield her. Perhaps you should try the bathroom, behind the shower curtain. Perhaps they won't even look there."  
  
"What about you?" Rinoa asked.  
  
Quistis smirked slightly. "Don't worry about me."  
  
"Yeah, but how will you-" Rinoa had started to ask.  
  
Squall cut her off, grabbing her by the arm, and said, "Don't worry about her, I'm sure she can take care of herself. Now shut up, and come on."  
  
"Don't tell me to shut up!" Rinoa hissed as they went into their hiding place. "And I can take care of myself too, you know!"  
  
"Damnit, I said shut up! You're gonna get us all killed!" he growled as he heard the front door being busted down, and heavy footsteps wandering into the room. "Be really quiet, and really still," he added in a whisper as he peeked out through the curtain and through the cracked door.  
  
Thankfully, she chose to take his advice, and remained silent while he attempted to listen to what was being said. There were low, deep voices coming from the other room, most likely male. They were speaking too quietly to be heard, however. The next thing that was heard was a gun being loaded and cocked, before random shots were fired around the bedroom, ripping into the wall, and shattering windows.  
  
At the this sound, Rinoa let out a small whimper. Squall looked at her sharpley, then put a gloved finger to lips, ensuring that she stayed silent. He pushed her behind him, so that he was shielding her with his body. She gripped his shoulders from behind, out of fear.  
  
A couple of the men opened the bathroom door and fired a few shots in their direction. Two of them missed, but one embedded itself in Squall's side. He let out a small grunt of pain that went unnoticed by the attackers, then looked to the would-be wound at his side. In only a few short seconds, the bullet seemed to drag itself out of his body and fall harmlessly to the floor with a small 'clang'. The broken skin immediately closed itself up, afterward.  
  
"Humans and their guns," he muttered in a voice full of disgust. "I'll take care of them."  
  
He stepped out of their small hiding place and into the bedroom, where they were just getting ready to leave, thinking they had taken care of anyone that might've been in the apartment.  
  
The men quickly began to unload their guns on him, bad it had no effect on him. Instead, he pulled out a small black book from his pocket and flipped through the pages, before looking up at them and saying, "According to my schedule, you weren't supposed to die for a few more years. But I suppose I'll make an acception this time. I hope this is a leeson to your boss never to send a human to do his dirty work." With a simple wave of his head, they all dropped to the floor, very much dead.  
  
Quistis popped out from her hiding place, "Good work. It makes sense that only a human would actually try to use the door."  
  
"You're a prophet," Squall stated. "Why the hell didn't you tell me they were humans in the first place?! It would've save us all this bullshit," he growled as he headed for the broken, splintered remains of the door. "Now let's go."  
  
Rinoa looked to Quistis, "Is he always this grumpy?" she asked.  
  
Quistis shrugged. "I've only known him for about forty-five minutes. So far, though, he certainly seems that way."  
  
"Sometime today, please?" Squall said, poking his head back through the door.  
  
"Wait a second. I have to change clothes. I can't go out looking like this," Rinoa pointed out.  
  
"Fine, go change," he said. "But hurry."  
  
Rinoa grabbed some clothes from her dresser and walked into the bathroom to change."  
  
"You know, we are suppose to follow her where ever she goes," Quistis pointed out. "Our top priority is her protection and survival."  
  
"Then you follow her in there," Squall grumbled.  
  
"Too ackward," she replied. "I don't know how guys are, but I, as a female, feel just a bit uncomfortable going in and watching some strange woman undress."  
  
"Better you than me."  
  
"You are to be her main guardian. I'm just here to give wise advice, and tell you the future. It is your sole duty to follow her wherever she goes, and make sure she is safe. Remember that at all times. You are duty- bound, Squall."  
  
He scowled and was about to reply when Rinoa walked out of the bathroom, fully dressed. "I'm ready."  
  
"Can we leave now?" he asked.  
  
"Where will we go?" Rinoa asked.  
  
Squall turned to Quistis, "Well, Ms. Fortune Teller, where are off to now?"  
  
"Follow me, and I will show you," she answered. "And Rinoa, be sure to hold onto Squall, for safety," she added, try to mask her grin with much difficulty.  
  
Rinoa nodded, and latched onto his arm.  
  
"Go to hell, Quistis," he muttered and tried to jerk his arm loose.  
  
"Uh-uh," Qusits scolded. "You don't want to go back on your sacred duties do you? And why does it bother you so much? Do you think there is something wrong with Rinoa?" she asked, thoroughly enjoying herself.  
  
"What?!" Rinoa gasped. "There's nothing wrong with me, you jerk!"  
  
"I never said-" he began.  
  
"Shame on you, Squall!" Quistis cut him off. "How dare you say such things about Rinoa."  
  
"I didn't say-" he tried again, but was once again cut off.  
  
"Just do me a favor and don't talk to me for the rest of this journey," Rinoa broke in with a sigh before walking far ahead of him.  
  
"Thanks, Quistis. Now, it's going to be so much easier following her around twent-four seven!" he hissed before following after Rinoa.  
  
Quistis shook her head and smirked as she watched them go. If only he could see what she saw in the future, maybe he wouldn't feel that way.  
  
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A/N: It sucks, so sue me. No, I think I'd rather be set on fire with your flames. I can't afford to be sued.... 


	2. At the Throat of Death

A/N: Thanks, everyone, for the reveiws! Here's the second chapter. Hope you enjoy!  
  
  
  
Executioner Chapter 2  
  
"We aren't going far, are we?" Rinoa asked. "I need to stay in town for a couple days."  
  
"What for?" Quistis asked.  
  
"My mother's funeral will be in a few days. It might seem foolish, but I have to go. I'll be reading the eulogy."  
  
"It's Friday now," Squall pointed out. "What day is the funeral?"  
  
"It will be on Tuesday," she replied.  
  
"Then we'll leave town for the weekend, to be safe, and come back on Monday so that way you'll have time to prepare."  
  
For the first time since they'd left Rinoa's aparment complex, Rinoa glanced at Squall, a small half-smile on her face. "Thank you."  
  
"In the mean time," Quistis began as she glanced up at the train schedules posted in the station. A different train station, that is. "We'll got to a small town about fifty miles from here. It's called Balamb. It's where I grew up. It should be safe there for awhile."  
  
Squall and Rinoa both nodded their approval, and they all stepped up to the counter to buy their tickets. Not but fifteen minutes later, the train departed, with the three of them in their own, private compartment.  
  
"It will be nice to go home again," Quistis commented as she seated herself on a sofa near a window and gazed out at the passing land. "I haven't been there in so long, I'm afraid I don't remember what it was like to live in such a peaceful place. Place without all the noise, and commotion of the city. I miss it often."  
  
"I grew up in the city," Rinoa said. "Just me and my mom," her voice choked slightly as she spoke the last word.  
  
"Where was your father?" Quistis asked.  
  
"He ran out on me and my mother when I was about five. I didn't hear anything about him for the longest time. Then, when I was about eleven, we got word that he had been killed in the war, over in some foreign country," she reflected.  
  
"What was him name?" Squall asked out of the blue.  
  
"Caraway," she answered. "That's all I remember about him, really. Me and my mom never talked about him. What do you care, anyway?"  
  
He shrugged. "Just wondering if I knew him. He probably died before my time, though."  
  
"Before your time?" Rinoa laughed, somehwhat bitterly. "You actually have an age?"  
  
He shook his head. "Not really. But I haven't been doing this forever, you know. I was chosen to take over the job when the last Angel of Death quit. I was just a regular Angel, but they said I had the characteristics needed for the job, so I was promoted."  
  
"You're telling me the last Grim Reaper retired?" she asked.  
  
"In a sense. See, after so many centuries of servitude, you have a choice. You can either continue with your job, and serve another few centuries, or you can opt to become human, and live for seventy or eighty years as a human does, with complete freedom and free will. That's what he did. I was selected to take his place," he replied.  
  
"Why you, out of some many others?  
  
"Like I said, I had the characterisitics they needed. I was a loner... and showed no hope of improvement. Death can't be getting attached to anyone. I wasn't, and I'm still not, the type that gets attached to a person."  
  
"Oh, I see. Since you were a cold, lonely Angel, you got to be Death," she speculated. "So what are you going to do after you serve your time? How long will you be doing this?"  
  
"As long as they'll let me," he said. "There's a minumum of three hundred years, and from what I've heard, a max of a thousand. Anyway, I don't want to be human, again."  
  
Quistis, who was half-asleep on the couch, poked her head back up, suddenly intrested in their conversation.  
  
"You were human once?" Rinoa asked, surprised.  
  
He nodded. "Yeah. A very long time ago. I died when I was twenty, if I remember correctly. I kind of enlisted in the 'army' after that. Worked my way up through the ranks. Most humans that die become Angels, but of a different kind. They really don't have to do anything. But I didn't want to spend the rest of my afterlife doing nothing."  
  
"How did you die?"  
  
He turned his head to the side, slightly, narrowing his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."  
  
"Do I sense foul play in your past?" asked Quistis.  
  
He shook his head, "It's none of your business. Just... leave me alone for the rest of the trip, okay?"  
  
"You know, if I'm going to be stuck with you for awhile, I'd rather you not be an asshole the entire time," Rinoa spoke up. "It's not going to make things any easier, trying to keep us at a distance, you know."  
  
"I don't much care what you think. I never asked for your opinion. If you don't like it, you can just leave," he growled.  
  
"Maybe I will!" Rinoa exploded suddenly. "I don't need this. Yes, I want this killing to stop, I feel bad for those people. But what do I have that's going to help you? How am I supposed to cope with all this at once. You couldn't have chosen a worse time! I haven't even had time to grieve properly!"  
  
"That's not my fault."  
  
She started to open her mouth, but before she could utter the words, he cut her off. "Don't say that it is. It's my job. You know as well as I do that your mother was suffering, anyway. Yet you would've rather she lived on in that condition? For your sake? That's selfish. And hating me for what happened won't solve anything, nor will it 'make things any easier.'"  
  
Silence filled the room as Rinoa sank further into her seat, taken aback by his last words. Finally, she stood from her chair and, before storming off into the bathroom, said, "I don't hate you for what happened. But I'm beginning to hate you for who you are."  
  
The air fell dead once more, and this time, Squall expected that no one, namely Quistis, would dare to shatter it. He was wrong, however. It seemed that the blonde-haired prophetess was unfazed by the vicious quarelling that had gone on.  
  
"Aren't you going to go after her?" she asked.  
  
"I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer."  
  
"Perhaps it's been so long since you've been a human male that you've forgotten, but when you upset a woman like that, you are supposed to go after her and apologize."  
  
"Why should I apologize? I was just telling it like it was."  
  
"You were too hard on her," Quistis explained. "She just lost her mother, she has a right to be pissy."  
  
"But it's not-"  
  
"Your fault, I know," she finished. "Believe me, we all know. It doesn't matter. Humans grieve in different ways. They often need a scapegoat.... someone or something they can blame the tragedy on. And anyway, you're her guardian. It's your duty-"  
  
"I'm tired of duty. Had I known that duty meant putting up with that," he stated, jerking his leather-clad thumb in the direction of the bathroom, "then I would've stuck with my old job."  
  
"I give up," Quistis sighed, just as they train came to a screeching hault. After a quick glance out the window, she announced, "Oh look, we're here..."  
  
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]  
  
Balamb was a small, mostly neglected town. In fact, Squall, Rinoa, and Quistis were the only three to dismbark there. As they headed through the train station, an old, worn building made of wood and rusted nails, they began to notice something quite strange. No one was there. Not a single person.  
  
"I have a very bad feeling about this," Rinoa spoke, for the first time since her argument with Squall on the train.  
  
"As do I," replied Quistis. "This place is quiet, but this is too quiet. Where is everyone."  
  
Upon furhter investigation, it seemed that the entire town had been abandoned. Cars were missing from their driveways, leaving only skid marks behind. Businesses were closed, and houses were locked. All except for one place that was still open. Quisits tried the knob on the door to the local bar, and found that it opened easily.  
  
In the middle of the floor, in a clearing that had been made by moving a lot of chairs and tables, was a pile of corpses, most with a bullet wound of some sort. Smeared on the wall above them, in what appeared to be blood, were the words 'by The Executioner' in huge print, and beneath it, in smaller print, were the words 'To achieve a sin-free world'. It sounded like some sort of twisted campaign slogan.  
  
"Oh my God..." Rinoa gasped, putting a hand over her mouth.  
  
"I thought I had that feeling," Squall muttered. "Well, I'm late, but better late than never I suppose."  
  
Quistis put a hand on Rinoa's shoulder and gently led her away, knowing what Squall was about to do, and not wanting to stir up any painful memories. "C'mon. Let's let him do this in peace."  
  
As the two women drifted over to the far corner of the room, the heard the sound of music coming through the wall nearby wall, accompanied by loud voices and laughter.  
  
"I wonder..." Quistis began in a near whisper.  
  
"Shut up," Squall hissed as he walked over to them. "Let me handle this."  
  
"But what if you get hurt?" Rinoa asked.  
  
"Since when do you care?" Squall shot back. "Besides, Death can't exactly die."  
  
"No," Quistis agreed. "But keep in mind there are worse things than death that you could fall prey to, depending on who, or rather, what, is in there."  
  
"So long as there's a chance to end this thing now, I'm willing to take it," he replied.  
  
Quistis shook her head. "I have the feeling this is a mistake."  
  
Before another word could be spoken, whether in agreement, or protest, the door swung open to reveal a small group of humans, a couple females, and several males, each armed with a gun.  
  
The man in the front grabbed Rinoa around the waist as soon as his eyes landed on her, and pointed a gun at her head. "One move, and she gets it," he said threateningly.  
  
Squall rolled his eyes beneath the shields of his dark tinted glasses. "Like I care," he muttered.  
  
"Squall!" Rinoa exclaimed, squirming in the man's grip.  
  
He couldn't help but let a small smirk come over his face. He wasn't sure why, but he found he liked teasing her. Her panic was amusing to him, but only because he didn't see any danger. One violent thought on his part, and these punks would fall down cold. Or so he thought.  
  
"I know what you're thinking," the man said. "It's not going to work. Seifer warned us about you. I'll know when you're so much as thinking about killing one of us off, and when you do, she's dead. And I know how valuable she is."  
  
"Seifer?"  
  
He nodded. "The one and only. Who did you think was responsible for all of this?"  
  
"I should've known," Squall growled angrily. "That bastard. He's the reason for all of this. I should've guessed."  
  
"Well, if your done, now, we'll be taking off now," the man replied, and began making his way toward the back door.  
  
At that moment, there was a small rumble from the back of the building, and the sound of wood cracking and splintering. There was a commotion in the back, followed by several screams of pain. A long staff jutted forward, smacking Rinoa's captor in the back of the head and knocking him out. Rinoa jumped away from him, happy to have escaped, and ran behind Squall for cover.  
  
Two figures slowly appeared through the door, a male and a female. The woman, who carried the staff, was tall and pale, with long, dark blue dread locks protruding from her head. She had pale, almost colorless blue eyes and a small silver hoop through her lip, with a deep blue saphire in the middle. Her partner in crime was a tall, muscular man, with bright, spiked red hair with yellowish streaks at the tips. His eyes were a deadly, glittering red that seemed to be filled with a constant anger. Red and green flames wrapped around his wrist and rose up his forearm, the colored ink sheltered deep beneath his skin. He stood shirtless with a small, confident smirk covering his face. His accomplice, sporting a white vest, light, frosty blue cloth that was tied around her hips, and trailed in a triangular shape down to her ankles behind her, with a pair of dark blue pants beneath it, did not seem quite so amused.  
  
"You are very much in trouble, Squall," she said as she shook her head, causing her shoulder-length blue braids to shake against each other. "You have failed."  
  
"Failed the mission?" Quistis questioned.  
  
"Failed to protect the Keeper. That was a very unwise desicion you made just now. You could've gotten Rinoa killed. Then where would you be?"  
  
"On my usual schedule, transferring the dying from the this world to their chosen after-life," Squall replied. "Anyway, how was I to know he could sense my thoughts. It wouldn't have been a problem had it just been me."  
  
She sighed. "This is no time to be a smart-ass, Leonhart. This mission could affect how far you will go in your after-life. If failed, you may be sentenced to life as a human once again, since it's somthing you despise so much. In any case, you are no longer by yourself, as much as you may wish it so. Rinoa is with you now, as well as the prophetess," she gestured toward Quistis. "You are the one with the power. You must protect them. Rinoa's survival is your number one priority. You are to focus on this above all else. Understood?"  
  
"I understand," he replied. "But did you come here just to lecture me, Guardian?"  
  
"So you recognized us?" she replied. "Yes, I am the Guardian Shiva. And the idiot over there is the Guardian Ifrit. We were not sent to lecture you, we are to help guard your lives. Since you seem to do an incompetent job."  
  
Squall clenched his fists, and was on the verge of saying something rude when he felt Rinoa grip his arm slightly, an unintentional action, but one that sent an unfamiliar, as well as unsettling tingle through his senses. He turned his head slightly, allowing him to look at her out of the corner of his eyes. She was at his side now, though still partially covered by the solid protection that his firm, muscualr body provided her as she gazed curiously at the so-called 'Guardians'.  
  
"So, you're going to make sure I don't get taken hostage at gunpoint again?" Rinoa asked.  
  
Ifrit nodded, smiling a big, toothy grin at her. "I'll protect you. You can hide behind me, instead, if you want. And then maybe-" he was cut off when Shive suddenly drove her staff into his stomach.  
  
"I swear, everytime this idiot gets to play human for a while, he starts to think with something other than his head," she said, her naturally icy voice even colder in reguard to her companion.  
  
Squall's usual scowl deepened. "No unwanted advances on the females," he said, throwing a protective glance in Rinoa's direction while Quistis fought back the urge to giggle at his unconcious gesture.  
  
Shiva nodded. "Don't worry. He'll obey. Or else."  
  
"Let's get going. I would rather not stand here all day with decaying corpses in the room," Quistis pointed out.  
  
Rinoa was the first to head for the door, with Shiva and Ifrit trailing close behind her. Quistis waited until they were gone before turning to Squall and smiling. "Did you notice?" she asked.  
  
"Notice what?" he grumbled.  
  
"She feels safe around you. Relaxed. You were the one she ran to for protection. The one she hid behind..."  
  
"Whatever," he replied. "Why should I care? And it's pretty obvious she hates me. She even said so herself on the train."  
  
Quistis shook her head and was about to speak when the slamming of the door caught her attention. He had walked out.  
  
She followed behind him quickly, catching up with him on the road as they all walked aimlessly about. "Upset?" she asked him.  
  
"About what?"  
  
"About her hating you."  
  
He shook his head. "I don't care. I don't like her either."  
  
"Tell me, what went through your head the first time you met her? Back in the hospital?"  
  
"None of you business!"  
  
She laughed. "It's not nice to lie to a prophet. You don't not like her. I could tell without my powers."  
  
"What are you two talking about?" Rinoa asked, slowly approaching them.  
  
"The stock-market," Quistis replied. "What do you think? Bull or bear?"  
  
"Don't ask me," Rinoa laughed. "Can I talk to Squall alone a minute?"  
  
"Of course," Quistis replied, supressing her laughter as she walked ahead.  
  
"What do want?" he asked when she didn't speak for a moment.  
  
"I just wanted to apologize," she said. "I got kinda mad earlier... you were just telling the truth, I guess. I got a little upset, I suppose, and I'm sorry."  
  
"It's fine," he dimissed it with a wave.  
  
She smiled slightly and wrapped an arm around his, leaning her chin on his shoulder, her eyes drifting closed. She was more tired than she had ever been in her entire life, and at the moment his shoulder was the most comfortable thing around.  
  
"Do you have to do that?" he mumbled.  
  
"Sorry," she replied, thinking she knew what he was talking about. "I'm sleepy."  
  
"Whatever," he sighed as they continued walking. Rinoa made note, however, that he made no further attempts to free his arm from her hold.  
  
"Shiva called you Leonhart, earlier," Rinoa said, looking up at him curiously.  
  
"That use to be my last name," he explained. "Back when I was human."  
  
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A/N: I won't say it sucks.... Yeah, I know, the sudden placement of Guardian Forces in the story was odd, especially since they were human in form... the rest of the characters will be along shortly, though. And yeah, Squall talked a lot in the beginning of this chapter, but I felt some things needed to be explained. 


	3. Experience the Past

Disclaimer: I forgot this at the first of the story. With my luck, someone's gonna sue my broke-ass. I don't own anything! At least, not the FF8 locations and people. Anyway, here's chapter 3. Meant to put it up pre-vacation, but it didn't work out.  
  
Executioner Ch. 3  
  
The sky stretched overhead, a soft, heavenly pink mingling with the blue as it gave its last cry of color before surrendering to the morbid darkness. Outlines of the only living people in the town of Balamb could be seen against the fiery orb as it slipped beneath the rim of the earth. They walked on, in search of a place to rest for the night, before they would be forced to flee the scene of devestation the next day.  
  
Shiva walked ahead, her staff gripped in her slender fingers while her colorless eyes searched ahead for any oncoming danger. Quistis walked a few paces behind her, still over-come with the shock of seeing her home town in shambles. Ifrit walked in the very back, watching the people ahead of him. Finally, in the middle of a large gap between Quistis and Ifrit, Squall walked with a half-sleeping Rinoa still attached to his arm. Unbeknownst to the others, whose focus was drawn either to their surroundings, or their growing weariness, Squall eyes rested intently on the silent woman at his side, his thoughts speeding through his mind with unnparelled force.  
  
He wasn't use to having someone cling to him. Even when he had been human, all those years ago, he had never had someone be this way around him, nor had he wanted it. Now, however, he was startling himself that he didn't mind it so much. There was the sound of her light, but steady breathing, and her warmth seeped through his clothing, making him aware of heat, but not much else. Had he been able to really feel it, the warmth would have grown uncomfortable after so long. He couldn't really explain it, but somehow he was more relaxed with her there, right by his side.  
  
Finally, after walking from one end of the town to another, they found a hotel, empty of course, where they would sleep for the night. Quistis chose a room to stay in, and Shiva decided to room with her, for her safety. That meant that either Squall or Ifrit would have to stay with Rinoa in order to guard her. Ifrit offered, of course, but Squall didn't trust him in the least, so he decided he would take the job of guarding her. After all, he really didn't need to sleep.  
  
She was still sleeping after roommates were chosen, so Squall picked her up and put her into bed, pulling the blankets out from underneath her and covering her up. And as she shifted comfortably in her bed, he leaned against the wall of the room, his eyes resting on her, though his thoughts were a million miles away.  
  
What could be so special about this small, frail woman that she would need four other people to guard her life, he wondered. As those thoughts passed through his mind, he felt his inner senses begin to tingle, his deathly intuition telling of yet another departing soul that required his assistance.  
  
Thinking that everyone would be safe if her left for the night to tend to his recently over-looked duties, he stood and headed for the door, never once casting a single glance back at the raven-haired woman behind him. That is, until he heard her give forth a small cry.  
  
It was quiet, so low that the ears of a human could never have heard it. He knew she was probably just having a nightmare, and that he should leave it well enough alone, but hard as he tried, something else was calling him back to her.  
  
She tossed frantically in her bed, face twisted in an expression of scorching pain that flooded her veins like liquid fire. Her small lips opened as whimpers parted from the shelter of her throat, rippling the air with unsteady sound waves.  
  
He wheeled around and came to stand at the side of her bed, placing his hands on her shoulders with the intention to shake her awake. He was startled, however, to find that her skin was ablaze, every cell in her body seeming to writhe with the torcherous flame of hell. It was an unusual thing for him to be able to feel body heat so well, as it was such a subtle sensation, but her skin was nearly burning his glove-clad hand.  
  
He carefully pressed his palm against her forehead and was flooded with chaotic images. Visions of people and places he had never before seen with his own eyes flashed through his head, until they all seemed to melt down into one scene, one moment, eternally adrift in the recesses of time.  
  
He could see it, feel it clearly, all the things that he had tried to forget, and had succeeded in doing after a century or so. He could see the fresh crimson staining the thick beige carpet while lightening flashes lit the darkened room. Hushed voices murmered as their owners surveyed the scene, the mood of the room that had seen lively parties and romantic evenings in it's lifetime having taken on the air of a cemetary. He had seen this all a million times after the first time it had occured, the memory repeating itself like an ever-present nightmare in his mind. It wasn't so much the image itself that sent a shock through the frozen depths of his buried soul, however. It was the knowledge of how it had all come to pass, and why that made his mind shudder everytime he thought about it. But as he looked over the all-too-familiar moment once more, he noticed something that hadn't been there before.  
  
There, in a neglected corner of the room, she stood, her hauntingly dark eyes swollen and screaming red, as if she had been crying tears of blood. Tears that had been shed for the horror she had witnessed, and the knowledge she now possessed. Tears that had been shed for him.  
  
As his focus centered on her, he became aware of a powerful force tugging at her mind, trapping her within the trecherous instant that sent venomous fear pounding through her arteries, and acid sizzling the interior of her stomach. Something had brought her into his private hell, and was refusing to let her go.  
  
Using his own mental force, he attempted to pull her free. The next thing he knew, they were back in the hotel room, and she was sobbing into his chest.  
  
This was an awkward situation for him, as he certainly wasn't used to comforting people. He didn't try to speak, or touch her. He just let her cry for a moment, until finally she pulled away from him, a look of confusion replacing her pain.  
  
"What happened?" she asked.  
  
"You just had a nightmare," he explained. "Go back to sleep."  
  
"Where am I?"  
  
"At a hotel," he replied, prying her death-grip off of him. "Just go back to sleep. You need the rest."  
  
She nodded slowly and laid back down, pulling the blanket over her and cowering beneath it. He stood to go, but was abruptly halted by the small, slender hand that locked around his wrist.  
  
"Please, don't go yet," she whispered. "Stay, at least until I go to sleep."  
  
He sighed heavily, but nodded, taking a seat near the bed and watching as he eyes slowly drifted closed. A few moments later, he closed the door to the room behind him as he headed out. In the hallway, he was greeted by Shiva's stern face, her colorless eyes seeming to glitter at him in the near darkness. Somehow, she must have sensed what had happened herself.  
  
"Someone wants her to know..." was all she said.  
  
Squall nodded. "Yeah, but who? Why? It has nothing to do with her, it never did. It all hapaned long before her time."  
  
"It doesn't matter," Shiva pointed out. "You managed to deter it, this time. You'll just have to keep an eye on her from now on. It would not do for her to know, whether it involves her, or not. Does she remember anything?"  
  
"No," he replied, shaking his head. "I don't think so."  
  
"Don't say a word about it, then" Shiva warned.  
  
"How is it that you know?" Squall asked quietly, looking away from her as he spoke.  
  
"I may possess a human body, but I've been working at this job for quite awhile. Granted, not as long as you, but still... Everyone that's been around awhile knows. You're practically a legend."  
  
He looked back to her, his unusually surprised face masked by the darkness. "A legend?"  
  
She nodded. "Everyone up there knows, Squall. They talk about it, speculate. But no one knows the truth. Only you and the higher powers..."  
  
With that, she turned away from him, heading back into her own room. "Don't be out too late. I have the feeling Rinoa will need you tomorrow."  
  
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When Rinoa awoke the next morning, she was alone, and a bit disoriented at first. That is, until the memories of the previous night came rushing back to her. Squall had said she'd had a nightmare, but from the little bit she could recall, it was much too real to be a mere nightmare. She had felt the agonizing pain of a brutal death, the sensations of her skin tearing open, and warm fluid seeping out of her body onto the floor still alive within her mind. She had felt every bit of burning pain that was to be had with that death. And when it was all over, it was not her, but someone else who had suffered her fate. She remembered looking down on them, and grieving for them, but now she had no recollection of who it was, or why she was seeing it.  
  
Now, as she sat alone in the room amidst the deadened air and hollow silence, an irrational fear of what had happened began to creep up her spine once more, slowly leaking into her limbs. Fortunately, she was saved from reliving the pain as a knock sounded on her door.  
  
She pulled the door of her room open to reveal her comrades standing there, somewhat impatient. All but one, that is.  
  
"We need to leave this place," Shiva said. "Any moment, someone will arrive to investigate. It's a miracle they haven't already, in fact. We're going back to the city a little early."  
  
Rinoa nodded. "That's fine. Let's just get out of here," she said. "But where's Squall?"  
  
"He should have been back by now," Shiva speculated. "But I suppose he'll join us whenever he can. After all, he hasn't been able to keep up lately, what with this mission and all. But he still has a job to do, and he has to take care of it whenever he can."  
  
Before another word could be spoken, Squall stepped into the hallway, his dark form casting a sudden gloominess over the area. "Are we ready?"  
  
There was a quiet collection of replies, before, without a word, he turned and began to walk out the way he came, knowing the others would follow. They caught another train in a nearby town, and left to return to the city.  
  
The journey back was mostly quiet, save the sounds of Shiva and Ifrit's constant arguing. Quistis had seated herself by the window again, never once opening her mouth to speak. Everyone thought that she was still in shock. After a moment, however, she turned to Rinoa, who was also sitting near a window, and said, "Do you have the eulogy written yet?"  
  
Rinoa looked up, startled out of her thoughts. "No... I really don't know what to say. I've never done this kind of thing before."  
  
"You just say how much you'll miss the person, and what they meant to you, and how they made an impact on your life, and the lives of others. That type of stuff," Squall answered. When he noticed the strange stares he recieved, he said, "What? Funerals are kinda my department, you know."  
  
Rinoa shook her head. "I don't see how you deal with it, honestly. I couldn't stand to see so many people dying."  
  
"Death isn't really that bad," he replied. "People always say how a person was cut down in their prime... that isn't necessarily true. People go when their time comes. And to some of them, it's salvation."  
  
"And what about Seifer? Is he not killing people before it's their time to go?" Rinoa asked.  
  
"Seifer's a different story. I don't know... something definately went wrong with him," Shiva commented. "I never worked along side him, though," she added, glancing at Squall.  
  
He shook his head. "Don't ask me. I've known him for a hundred and thirteen years, in life and in death... that doesn't mean I understand him."  
  
"How did you know him before?" Rinoa asked.  
  
"Unfortunate coincidence, if you ask me," he grumbled. "I knew him all of my life, though not well. I never knew much about him until..." his voice trailed off as he caught sight of Shiva in the background, shaking her head. He realized then that what he was about to say might have brought up foul memories. And anyway, what business was it of hers to know that Squall and Seifer had died at the same time, by the hand of the same person.  
  
"What?" Rinoa asked, looking around the room in confusion. "Until what?"  
  
"It's not important," Squall replied. "Let's just drop it. You have a eulogy to write, anyways."  
  
Rinoa nodded, then stood. "Fine. I'll be in the other room, if anyone needs me."  
  
Before anyone could protest, or remind her that she wasn't supposed to be alone, she walked out of the room and into the next one, searching all over the place for paper and something to write with. Shiva looked pointedly at Squall.  
  
"I know what you're thinking, and the answer is no," he said. "I watched her last night. It's your turn."  
  
"She's not my responsibility."  
  
"I'll watch her," Ifrit answered suddenly.  
  
"No!" both replied in unison. "Do you wish to keep your job?" Shiva asked of Squall. "There are plenty of others who would jump at the chance to take it."  
  
"Are you threatening to fire me?"  
  
"No. That's not in my power to do. I'm just saying..."  
  
"Would it shut you the hell up if I went in there?" he asked, standing up. When she smiled and nodded, he turned abruptly and headed for the door, leaving a string of foul words behind him.  
  
He didn't bother to knock, but let himself in. He looked around, but didn't see any sign that anyone had been in the room. That is, until he noticed a few sheets of white paper scattered over one of the bunk bed, along with a pen. Seeing no one around to catch him in his unusually curious mood, he walked over and picked the papers up, reading over them as best as he could. The ink had run a little, possibly from tears falling onto the paper. Before he could even finish reading the small paragraph that had been written, the papers were snatched out of his hand, and he found himself staring into a pair of angry, yet red and puffy brown eyes.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, placing a hand on her hip and narrowing her eyes.  
  
"I'm being forced to baby-sit again," he replied.  
  
She smacked him in the arm, somewhat playfully and said, "I don't need to be watched over, so you can leave. I have things to do, and I know you hate being stuck with me all the time."  
  
He opened his mouth to speak, then stopped, and simply stared at her for a moment.  
  
"What?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at him.  
  
"You've been crying." It wasn't a question, just a fact that he had pointed out.  
  
"So, what's it to you?" she asked, sniffling a little.  
  
He shook his head. "She's in a better place now. She doesn't have to deal with the pain of living anymore. You should be happy for her, instead of crying all the time."  
  
"I know she was in a lot of pain," Rinoa replied. She lived with that pain for far too long, and I didn't want her to have to suffer anymore. But that doesn't mean I don't wish things could've been different!"  
  
"Wish what you want, it won't get you anywhere. It won't bring her back, it won't chang what happened, so just deal with reality, and move on with your life."  
  
She looked away from him a moment, trying to control her anger before saying. "You're a real ass hole, you know that? They couldn't have gotten a more uncaring, insensitive person for the job. I guess you should be proud," she spat.  
  
"I am," he replied. "Thanks for the compliment."  
  
Her mouth fell open as she watched him struggle to surpress a grin. "You're impossible, do you know that?!" she exclaimed, half-amused, half- infuriated with his behavior.  
  
"I know. And you're no longer crying," he pointed out before walking out of the room.  
  
She stared after him for a moment, startled with the realization that he was right. She was so busy being mad at him that she didn't feel like crying anymore. She gathered up her papers, with a small sigh, and shoved them into one of her pockets, decideding that she would write more later. For the moment, she was preoccupied with wondering if he'd been trying to cheer her up all along.  
  
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A/N: *cringes* That was bad, wasn't it? You wait all that time for an update, and it's that bad... I know some of it doesn't make a lot of sense now, but it will come together in later chapters..... 


	4. Earning Your Wings

A/N: Yes, I'm still alive... and I'm terribly sorry about the long delay in updates. I got rather discouraged by something someone said to me, and my discouragement developed into writer's block. But, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Deling City was alive with activity, as usual. It seemed entirely unfazed by the incident in Balamb, which was known to be eerily similiar to the one that occured in the city it self. Life still continued as always, and on that particular day, for some, life meant mourning at a ceremony for the dead.  
  
Rinoa stood outside the large chapel in a long black dress and a veil covering half of her face. In her hands she tightly clutched a few peices of folded paper, the finished product of many hours of tears and painful memories.  
  
"Well, it's time for you to go in," Quistis pointed out, checking her watch. She was also dressed in a black dress, as was Shiva.  
  
She nodded in reply. "I know I have to... I just don't want to. If I go in there, I'm going to see that it's really over. That she's never coming back."  
  
"Perhaps we should wait out here for you," Shiva offered. "Now is a time to be with your family. We'll accompany you to the burial."  
  
Rinoa nodded and took a few more steps toward the open doors of the church. "I'll see you all in a little while," she muttered before stepping inside, as slowly as possible. This wasn't something she wanted to face, especially not with everything else that was going on.  
  
A short period later, after the viewing and the reading of the eulogy, the casket was closed, and taken outside to the cemetary, where Rinoa and her family, joined by her new friends, stood before an open grave and waited for it to be lowered inside. First, however, a few words had to be spoken, in comfort to the people in mourning.  
  
Rinoa stood near the front, staring at the hole in the ground with empty eyes. Quistis and Shiva stood at her side, hoping to give her at least a small amount of comfort. Ifrit, who was known to always misbehave in public, was made to stand in the back with Squall, who watched the scene before him with a look of boredom behind his sun shades. He had watched this same ceremony take place twice in his life, and a countless number of times after his death. So much so, that it was almost sickening to him, having to watch people cry and carry on all the time. Having been dead for so many years, he had forgotten what it was like to feel that kind of pain, and now looked on it with a kind of weariness. And standing here now, having to watch it over again for the millionth time, he was growing quite impatient.  
  
"Geez people, it's just death," he muttered under his breath. "It happens everyday."  
  
Unfortunately, his muttering had not been as quiet as he thought, because all talking ceased, and all eyes turned to stare at him in surprise, including a pair of anger-filled brown ones. Before another word could be spoken, Rinoa marched up to him, slapped him as hard as she could across the face, then turned and ran from the cemetary to some unknown destination.  
  
A long moment of silence followed, as everyone was unsure of what to do then. Finally the priest gave a slight sigh, and asked, "Shall I continue?"  
  
An ederly woman with white hair drawn back into a bun stepped forward and nodded her head. "Yes, please do," she said, then glared at Squall. "But perhaps without him."  
  
Squall didn't need to be told twice. He gave a slight nod of acknowledgement then left the gate-enclosed cemetary, so that the Heartilly family might finish the burial in peace. Instead, he walked to the front of the church, and slowly went inside, thinking that he would have an oppurtunity to be alone. He was startled to find Rinoa there, sitting alone in the middle row, wiping her eyes.  
  
He didn't speak, but took a seat in the row behind her, somewhat surprised she hadn't noticed another presense in the room yet. He noticed she was staring at the image of an angel in a stained glass window, and leaned forward somewhat, to speak to her. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"  
  
She jumped at the sudden voice, before turning to confront the speaker. "Oh, it's you," she scowled.  
  
"That's all you have to say to me?" he asked.  
  
"There are a lot of things I want to say. But I'm not going to say them in a church," she explained.  
  
He was silent for a moment, then turned his attention back to the window she'd been looking at. "I remember watching them put that in while they were building the church. The original church, that is. There was a fire about fifty years ago... that window was one of the few things to survive. So they put it back in when they rebuilt the church."  
  
"You were alive when they first built a church here?" she asked. "You lived here in Deling City?"  
  
He nodded, though hesitantly. "Yeah, I lived here in Deling City. It was much different back then, though, from what it is now."  
  
"I would imagine," she said ponderously. "Did you like living here?"  
  
He shrugged, "It was okay. Even back then, it was really busy, though. I never cared for crowded places."  
  
She laughed slightly. "You don't seem like the type that would be. If you didn't like it, why did you stay?"  
  
He looked away from her, "I had my reasons."  
  
She studied him for a moment, then said, "Why don't you ever take them off?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Your glasses," she clarified. "Why don't you ever take them off? No one can see your eyes."  
  
"I don't want anyone to see them," he replied.  
  
"Why? Is something wrong with them?" she asked, attempting to snatch his glasses off him.  
  
He batted her hand away, and said, "No, there's nothing wrong with them. I just... like to hide behind them, I guess you could say," he replied. "So leave them alone, please."  
  
"Alright, fine," she sighed. "And you know, I'm still mad at you."  
  
"I expected as much," he replied. "And I guess... just maybe, I'm sorry. I'm just sick of watching funerals. I suppose I've become rather numb to them."  
  
"Makes sense," she replied softly, leaning even further over the back of the bench to be closer to him. "You've seen many of them, I guess. Though, I'm not sure why. Unless you attend you victim's funerals, or something."  
  
"Sometimes..." he admited. "A lot of them at this same church, too."  
  
"Why?" she quetioned. "There are so many... you said you were numb to it by now."  
  
"There was this little girl once," he began. "I never much cared for children, but she... she was an orphan, and had this disease. She practically lived in the hospital... for years she struggled through immense pain, until finally it was time for me to go and get her. And when I did, I felt every bit of pain that she had been through, every bit of fear. She was so scared of dying alone, never knowing what it was like to have a family. And just a few days afterward, this woman came, looking for her. It was her mother... they had somehow gotten seperated. But it was too late. She never got to see her daughter, and her daughter died, never knowing she had a mother... I guess it just got to me. Going to the funeral was the least I could do."  
  
Rinoa looked up at him in surprise. "I never expected you to have even an ounce of sensitivity in your body. I guess I was wrong," she said, her voice lowering to a near whisper. "I'm glad I was wrong, too. But how is it that you felt her pain?"  
  
Squall hesitated for a moment, and was about to speak when the double doors to the church swung open and a young man with spikey blonde hair stumbled in.  
  
"Damn. They weren't kidding about that fall being killer," he muttered, rubbing his head. "Hey!" he called to them. "Is there a Squall Leonhart in here?"  
  
Squall stood from his seat and turned to look at the stranger. "That would be me. Who are you, and what do you want?"  
  
"Chill dude," he replied, putting his hands up in defense. "I don't mean any harm. I was sent here from above!" he announced, walking closer to Squall and Rinoa. "Well... kinda. See, the other day I was walking down the street, minding my own business when-"  
  
"Get to the point," Squall snapped.  
  
He laughed nervously. "Mr. Sunshine, I see. Well, I got shot. And the thing is, I'm not good enough to go to heaven, but not bad enough to go to hell. So basically, I have to earn my angel wings. By helping you, in whatever your mission is."  
  
"Not another one," Squall grumbled, smacking his forehead.  
  
"How did you get shot while walking down the street, minding your own business?" Rinoa asked.  
  
"'Cause I happen to see this stereo in a store window, and thought I could get some good money for it. I would've gotten away with it, too, but that bastard store owner had a shot gun underneath the counter."  
  
"And they're giving you a chance to earn your wings?" Squall asked, arching an eyebrow in disbelief.  
  
"I was gonna sell the stereo to pay for this operation my mom needed but couldn't afford," he explained. "I was told that I did bad things, but had a good heart. That's why I was given another chance."  
  
"Your name?" Squall asked with a sigh. He remembered this guy from the other night, when he'd gone out to catch up on his job.  
  
"I'm Zell, Zell Dincht," he said, extending a hand in Squall's direction. "So what do I have to do to get out of here?"  
  
Squall ignored his hand, and was about to reply when Shiva burst through the doors, follwed closely by Quistis and Ifrit. "Something's happening across town," she explained. "I have reason to believe that Seifer is responsible."  
  
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By the time they arrived across town, the area was already covered with cops and reporters. This time, it was a resturaunt, and the scene inside was certainly one to behold. Tables were overturned, food and dishes spilled onto the floor next to them, glasses were shattered over the short, gray carpet glinting in the faint light from the overcast day outside. Crimson spots stained the walls, windows, and floor and the room stood still, almost as if all the people inside had simply disappeared. And to top it all of, was Seifer's trademark message, scribbled sloppily over the wall.  
  
Squall and the other stood outside the yellow police line, watching as bodybag, after bodybag was pulled out from the entrance.  
  
"I'll have to make a trip to the morgue tonight," Squall muttered, shaking his head. "It's too late to do anything now."  
  
"You could get in trouble for waiting so long," Shiva pointed out. "You've neglected your duties too often."  
  
"Yeah, but what can I do? They should've known I couldn't manage both jobs at once," he replied. "Watching over her," he began, gazing down at Rinoa, "is a full time job. The second I'm not around she's going to get herself into trouble."  
  
"I will not!" Rinoa argued, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not a baby."  
  
"You might as well be, as much as I have to watch over you," he replied.  
  
"If you weren't already dead..." Rinoa growled, a little louder than she should have. The other people that had gathered there were giving them all strange looks.  
  
"Look at you two!" Quistis exclaimed. "You fight with each other like a married couple. Now we need to get some place where we can rest. We've all had a long day, and there's nothing we can do about this right now."  
  
"Excuse me," Zell interrupted. "I'm still confused. No one bothered to explain any of this to me."  
  
"Well, Mighty Prophetess... since you're so smart, why don't you explain everything to him?" Squall suggested. "In the mean time, we need to find a hotel or something. Looks like I'll be baby-sitting, again."  
  
"You may be the Angel of Death, but that doesn't mean you can get away with teasing me like that, Mr. Leonhart," Rinoa commented. "I'll get you back, when you least expect it."  
  
"Yeah, I'm so scared," he replied.  
  
Quistis shook her head, "Enough, you two. Le'ts go."  
  
As they were walking away, a strange man in a gray trench coat brushed past Rinoa, his hand briefly touching hers. The instant the contact was made, visions began to pass through Rinoa's mind. She saw flashes of a dark room, and in it a man outlined in the vague moonlight as he stumbled toward the door where a tall man in a black coat was waiting, a weapon hidden behind his back. The vision changed, and now she saw an old- style car speeding down the road on a dark, rainy night. It sped past the church, though it appeared slightly different now, and headed toward two boys, who were walking down the sidewalk. At the last moment, the tires slid on the slick road, and headed straight for the two children.  
  
"Rinoa!" a loud voice shouted at her, shaking out of her trance. She suddenly found herself in front the abandoned resturaunt again, surrounded by the concerned faces of her friends. Squall stood in front of her, a hand on both her shoulders from where he had shaken her back to reality.  
  
"What... what happened?" she asked after a moment.  
  
"That's what we were wondering," Squall answered, attempting to release her.  
  
She leaned into him tiredly, laying her head against his shoulder and said, "Let's just get out of here. My head hurts."  
  
"I think there's a nice hotel just a couple blocks from here," Quistis said. "Let's go."  
  
She began walking, and the other's followed behind her, silently. Squall timidly put an arm around Rinoa's shoulders to support her, as she suddenly looked very tired and sickly, then followed behind the others.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked quietly as they walked.  
  
"I'll be fine," she replied. "Why do you care?"  
  
"Business," he replied. "It's my job to make sure you're okay."  
  
"Is that all?"  
  
He nodded. "Of course it is. How could it be anything else?"  
  
Rinoa laughed slightly. "you're not completely void of emotion, are you?"  
  
"Pretty much," he answered.  
  
"I might've been more inclined to believe that earlier, before you told me about how you go to some of your victims funerals because you feel bad for them."  
  
"I feel for the dead," he replied. "Not for the living."  
  
"So when I'm dead, you'll care about me?" she laughed.  
  
He smirked slightly, "Maybe."  
  
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A/N: Well, there's another chapter down. I won't say it's bad... even though I think it is. I apologize, once again, for the delay. I got rather discouraged. Well... until next chapter... 


	5. That Big Administrative Office in the Sk...

A/N: Hi people! Sorry for the delay. I started playing Kingdom Hearts and couldn't tear myself away from the PS2. Some notes to some people:  
  
Crystal Flame: Wow... thanks for the loyalty. You would flame someone for me? Thanks! But my source of dicouragement was actually a family memeber, on a peice of writing I didn't post. Still, I guess I should've realized what great reviewers I've had all along.... Oh no, I'm getting mushy now, hide me from myself... Oh, I didn't recieve any e-mails, aside from the first you sent me.  
  
Julia Minuit: Don't call me Sarah, DUCKMOLE! Not here! It's Dark Raion!  
  
Crystal Angel Kairi: Interesting suggestion. In fact, it was much along the lines of what I was thinking... You'll have to wait until next chapter to find out, though.  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Night fell swiftly on the thriving city, the streets suddenly becoming packed with the infamous night owls that roamed the town in search of action. Six people, however, were stuck in a hotel, trapped within the deadly cage of boredom. They had rented one large suite with two bedrooms, a living area with a fold out couch, two bathrooms, and a kitchen. No one really felt like sleeping just yet, however. Quistis sat in the living room, watching TV quietly as she sat next to Zell, who kept trying to put his arm around her with a sly grin on his face. Shiva, who sat at the kitchen table with a phone book, arguing with Ifrit over which was the better pizza delivery, would hear a loud 'slap' every few minutes and an 'ow' from Zell. Squall stood out on the balcony alone, looking out over the fading sun.  
  
As he glared into traces of lavender and orange light, which was quickly being devoured by the ever-persistent darkness, he heard soft footsteps behind him, and sensed a familiar presence nearby.  
  
"What are you doing?" she asked quietly, looking up at him.  
  
"Just thinking," he replied, hesitantly. "Are you... feeling any better?"  
  
She nodded and smiled slightly. "Yeah, a lot, thanks. It's was just... really strange. Everything that happened... everything that I saw."  
  
"What exactly did you see?" he asked, curiousity getting the better of him for a moment.  
  
Before she could reply, Quistis poked her head out the door and said, "We all decided to go out to eat. Are you coming, or do you just want us to bring you something back?"  
  
"I don't really feel like going out," Rinoa lied, trying her best to look tired and worn out. "Do you mind?" she turned to Squall, knowing by now that he would stay with her.  
  
He shrugged. "Like going out near all those people is a big thrill for me anyways. I don't care. Don't bother bringing me anything, though. I don't need to eat."  
  
Quistis nodded and went back inside, leaving out the front door with the rest of them. As Rinoa was silently celebrating her deceptive victory, Squall turned to her and asked, "So, since I know you really feel fine, what compelled you to stay in this evening?"  
  
"Oh.. you could tell?" she asked, slightly dissapointed.  
  
"Your not the best actor in the world," he replied, turning out to face the sky once more.  
  
"Well, I, um, wanted to talk to you," she answered. "Is that alright?"  
  
He shrugged once more. "Shoot."  
  
"The things that I saw..." she began, but faltered. Taking a deep breath and probing the recesses of her mind for the right words, she tried again. "I don't understand what's happening to me. I keep seeing these things... they're almost like dreams, but so real. That night you were with me... I know you think it's just a dream, but I know it was something more. The pain I felt was so real. Why is this happening to me, Squall?" she asked finally, her voice cracking a little at the end, in fear of his answer.  
  
"You expect me to have the answers?" he replied. "I don't know any more than you do. Why not ask one of the others?"  
  
"It's not a subject I feel very comfortable talking about with just anyone."  
  
"But you have no problem talking about it to me?" he answered, a little more harshly than he'd meant to.  
  
"Do I really bother you that much?" she asked suddenly. "I mean, you always act like being near me is a chore... is it really that bad to you?"  
  
He studied the heavy black boots on his feet for a moment before finally making eye contact with her. "No, I guess it isn't. I just have a reputation to keep up, you know. I'm the Angel of Death, I'm supposed to be mean. But, just because I don't hate spending time near you, doesn't mean I like it, either."  
  
"What the hell kind of answer is that?" she sighed. "You don't dislike me, but you don't like me, either?"  
  
"I said I didn't hate you. But I do dislike you, and everyone else."  
  
Rinoa smiled slightly, taking Squall by surprise. He'd half-way expected her to get mad at him and start yelling.  
  
"I don't believe you," she said, slowly putting a hand on his cheek and guiding his hidden eyes to look into hers. "I'm not the only bad actor here tonight."  
  
Squall felt a shock run through his body, orginating from their small bit of contact. He could feel a rush of warmth and tingling on his skin where she touched him. Both were sensations he shouldn't have been able to feel. He looked away from her, contemplating what to say or do next, but didn't break the contact. He suddenly felt her weight against him as she closed the distance between them, sliding one arm over his shoulder and running the other hand through his hair. As much as part of him wanted to, he found he couldn't move. All of the long-forgotten sensations of being human were rushing back to him now, over-loading his senses. Perhaps the most daunting information of all was the fact that he could actually feel it all so well. It was really beginning to scare him, but fear was another emotion he was unaccustomed to, and he wasn't sure how to react.  
  
"You know, you really should take the glasses off," she murmered, her warm breath gently brushing against his lips, making him swallow hard.  
  
"I never take them off," he managed to mutter back, being as still as he possibly could.  
  
"Not even for me?" she pouted.  
  
"Not a chance."  
  
She smiled, laughing slightly, and kissed him on the cheek before drawing away from him and heading into the hotel room once more. He stood there for a long moment, dumbfounded, and rested his blank gaze on the now black void overhead, smirking slightly as his eyes caught on the first twinkling little dot to appear that night.  
  
His peaceful reverie was interrupted by a sharp scream ringing out through the air. He quickly ran back into the room, only to find Rinoa cornered by a crowd of black-winged beasts, each armed with an ancient- looking broad sword.  
  
Upon Squall's arrival to the room, they opened their wings and took to the air, at least as high as they could go in a hotel room. He closed his eyes in concentration, intent on ending this battle before it could begin, but was startled to find that it wouldn't work. He couldn't kill them in the conventional sense, as they were soulless, and were therefore non-living creatures. There were very few ways to deal with them, and none of these options seemed open to Squall and Rinoa.  
  
"Squall, what do we do?" Rinoa asked, staring up at the vile beasts, their black scales slick and oozing, and their half-rotted fangs dripping with acid.  
  
"To tell you the truth, I really don't know," he replied. "I have no weapons to fight with."  
  
Suddenly tired of their senseless chatter, one of them chose to launch itself as Rinoa. She screamed and cowered against the wall, but the only thing she felt was weight against her. She looked up to see Squall in front of her, sheilding her body with his own. He had now had a gaping, bleeding gash in his stomach, but it quickly healed itself, leaving behind only a barely visible stain on his black T-shirt.  
  
"How long do you think you can hold them off?" Rinoa asked.  
  
"As long as I have to," he replied, taking another blow to the shoulder, then jerking the sword from the clumsy hands of the demon and impaling him with it.  
  
Squall stood from the floor, blocking and countering as he did, and said over his shoulder, "Stay behind me at all times."  
  
Another swing and another one was out, leaving about six more to deal with. Luckily, the front door swung open at that moment, and Shiva, Ifrit, and the others stepped in, the former drawing their own weapons and quickly doing away with the remaining pests.  
  
As soon as the last one was gone, their remains, as well as the sword in Squall's hand, turned to ash.  
  
"I knew we shouldn't have left," Shiva commented, shaking her head. "Well, the threat is gone for now, and no one's hurt, right?"  
  
"Doesn't look like it," Zell replied.  
  
"That's good," Quistis muttered, then turned to Rinoa and Squall. "Are you two sure you're all right?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm okay," Rinoa answered, though her voice was still shaking in fear. "I just need to go lay down, I think."  
  
With that, she started off into one of the bedrooms, Squall following wordlessly behind her. Quistis couldn't help but smile at this. He was finally getting use to his new job. Maybe there was hope for him after all.  
  
"So, what do we do now?" Zell asked, casually taking a seat on the glass coffee table in the middle of the room. As soon as he did, there was a loud crack, followed by the sound of shattering glass. He stood up and realized he'd broken the glass of the table in half.  
  
"Zell," Shiva groaned. "That table could survive the battle, but you go and sit on it for two seconds, and destroy it. Well, when the charge us for it, it's coming out of your pocket."  
  
Zell blushed slightly. "Uh, sorry. Guess I should've layed off the hotdogs at dinner, huh?"  
  
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Once the door was closed behind them, Rinoa collapsed against the wall and slid into a sitting position, her hands beginning to tremble, and her face turning pale.  
  
"Rinoa, are you alright?" Squall asked, true concern shining through in his voice.  
  
She nodded slowly. "I just really thought I was going to die back there. I mean, it's not the first time I've been in danger, but ever since my mom's funeral... after seeing how final it all is, I guess death scares me even more," she explained, allowing a few tears to spill out.  
  
"You certainly had the others fooled," he commented.  
  
She smiled up at him, tears shining in her deep, hauntingly dark eyes. "I guess you're not the only one who feels the need to put up a facade sometimes. I just don't want people to know how weak I feel... how scared I get. If I act cheerful and happy, then they'll think I'm strong."  
  
He crouched down in front of her, so that their eyes were level. "If you don't want anyone to know, then why don't you hide from me?"  
  
"I don't know," she shrugged slightly. "I guess I just feel safer with you."  
  
He opened his mouth to reply, but immediately shut it, unsure of how he should respond. Rinoa didn't give him the chance to, however. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, burrying her head in the crook of his neck.  
  
"I can't explain it," she whispered after a moment. "You just make me feel safe... secure. Like my mother once did."  
  
"I'm not your mother," he replied softly.  
  
She laughed against his shoulder. "No, you're not. The way I feel about you is completely different."  
  
Slowly, hesitantly, he let his arms slide around her, and guided her up from the floor. "You need some sleep."  
  
"Only if you stay with me," she murmered back. "And promise not to let me go."  
  
Unconciously, he held her a little tighter, allowing his hand to rub her back in a comforting manner. He was about to reply to her, when he felt something shaking rapidly against him, and the sound of something vibrating reached his ears. She backed away from him rather quickly, then, but kept one arm around his shoulder.  
  
He laughed embarresedly, reaching into his coat and pulling out his pager. "I uh, always set it to silent mode," he said blushingly, as if trying to explain the bizarre situation.  
  
"Oh, right," she laughed as well, trying to break the tension a little. "Who is it?"  
  
"Administrative office," he replied, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.  
  
"Administrative office?" she repeated, obviously confused.  
  
"Yep. That big administrative office in the sky. I have to go, and I'm afraid you can't come with me. There's a strict 'no mortals allowed' policy."  
  
She nodded. "Right, well, I guess I'll go join the other for a little while."  
  
He nodded, wondering at what he might've been "caught" doing. "Yeah, I'll be back soon," he said, turning away from her.  
  
"Hurry," she called after him as he dissapeared into a circle of blinding white light.  
  
Once on the other side, Squall found himself standing in a huge lobby with smooth gray walls, and mable flooring. On one side of the room sat row after row of leather, padded chairs. The chairs were surprisingly half- empty, the other half filled with varieties of people each holding a number. On the other side of the room was a long desk with hundred of white-winged receptionists calling numbers and talking on phones. Squall went right to the front of one of the lines, making several people angry, and spoke to the receptionist.  
  
"Excuse me, I was paged just recently," he explained.  
  
She squinted at him for a moment, then smiled. "Of course, Mr. Leonhart. We've been expecting you. Go right on ahead," she said, gesturing toward the elevator. "your new administrator is waiting for you on the fifth floor."  
  
He nodded and stepped into the elevator with a chubby, bald man he knew to be the Angel of Irony. He was holding a palm pilot, watching the people of Earth as they went about their various tasks. Every now and then he would push a few buttons and burst out laughing at the misfortune he caused.  
  
Up on floor five, there was nothing but large, expensively decorated offices, and another, yet smaller receptionist desk at the front.  
  
One of the receptionists took a brief look at him then said, "Office number twenty-two, sir."  
  
After going through endless rows of offices, he finally found the right one and stepped inside, not bothering to knock. Inside, a petite young woman with flipped-up brown hair and sparkling emerald eyes stood up to greet him.  
  
"Hi, there! I'm your new administrator, Selphie Tilmitt. I'll be giving you all your orders from now on. Now I just called you up here to tell you about a few changes in your schedule."  
  
Squall quirked an eyebrow. Did this mean he would no longer be chasing after Seifer and protecting Rinoa? Would someone else be assigned the job of being her body guard? He was shocked to find that he really wasn't very happy with that idea.  
  
"It seems you've gotten a little behind on your job," Tilmitt stated, flipping through her records. "Now, that's perfectly understandable, what with the new task you've been given, but it's not acceptable, I'm afraid. Dead people need assistance immediately. Therefor, it's been decided that we will hire a temporary replacement, until your task is finished."  
  
"Who?" Squall asked.  
  
"His name is Nida something. I forget what. Anyway, he'll be taking care of your reaping until you've succeeded in your new mission. Meanwhile, we also have someone else to add to your party, in light of recent developments."  
  
If Squall had a pulse, he would've sworn that it stopped just then. Did they know about him and Rinoa? Wait, of course they knew. The question was, were they angry?  
  
"We'll be adding a Mr. Irvine Kinneas to your party. He's one of our top ranking demon hunters. He'll be sure to keep you and your party safer, if there are any further attacks."  
  
With that, a tall man in a cowboy hat, carrying what appeared to be a normal looking shotgun with him, appeared and grined at him. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Reaper, sir."  
  
"That's Squall," he replied through gritted teeth. "Is that all Ms. Tilmitt?"  
  
"Yes, I suppose so, for now. you may leave. Good luck!" she shouted to them as they left her office.  
  
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Though it really hadn't taken Squall but half an hour, a few hours had passed on Earth while he was gone. He returned to find everyone asleep in the living room, with the lights off and the TV on mute. The bed had been pulled out of the couch, with Shiva asleep sitting against a cushion and Quistis laying across it. Ifrit was stretched out across the floor, Zell was asleep in one chair, and Rinoa in the other chair, shivering slightly.  
  
"You can use that room to sleep in, or whatever," Squall said to Irvine, pointing to the smaller of the two bedrooms.  
  
With that, he tunred and looked down at Rinoa, a sudden feeling swelling in his chest and choking him as he looked at her. Even when he was living, he had never been an emotional person, and could not recall having ever felt something as strong as what was creeping up on him now. He slipped his black trench coat off his shoulders and put it over her shivering form before picking her up and carrying her to the bedroom.  
  
She opened her eyes slightly as he carried her down the hall. "I thought you weren't going to be long," she said sleepily as she snuggled against his chest.  
  
"I wasn't. Time there is just different then it is here," he answered, laying her down on the bed so she could finish sleeping.  
  
"Stay with me tonight," she pleaded, holding onto his hand so he couldn't leave.  
  
"Do I have a choice?" he asked, half-joking.  
  
"Meany," she mumbled. "Just stay here, next to me. Just for tonight."  
  
He sat down on the edge of the bed next to her and peered at her half- open eyes through the darkness. "You're still scared, aren't you?"  
  
"A little."  
  
Shyly, he laid down next to her. "Just this once," he replied, and watched her smile wearily.  
  
"Deal," she said, and allowed her eyes to drift closed.  
  
Though it wasn't necessary, and though he never had before, having been too tense, he actually slept that night for the first time since his death, unconciously relaxing in the presence of his sleeping companion...  
  
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A/N: So, what do you think? I'm going to go so far this time as to say that I'm proud of this chapter. Thanks, everyone! 


	6. Off with the Shades

A/N: *sniff* So many good reviews. Notes to some people:  
  
Julia Minuit: Spell check? I don't have spell check. I am the spell checker. Arrogant? I wouldn't call Squall arrogant. Just confidant. He doesn't brag, at least. Hai, watashi wa Amerika-jin desu. Anata wa Amerika-jin desu ka?  
  
Exhile87: Squall's voice? Did I like it? Hell yeah! David Boreanaz was a good choice for him. Mandy Moore did the voice of Aerith, and Lance Bass (believe it or not) was Sephiroth I have a whole cast listing on my KH review on my website.  
  
Redrum: Wow, I have yaoi fans reading this. Didn't expect that, but I'm grateful for all the readers I have. Nice to know I write interesting summaries, too. I hope you enjoy the story, even if you don't like Squinoas.  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Morning fell on the quiet hotel room, the blonde haired prophetess was the first to rise, her limbs stiff and sore from the odd position she'd fallen asleep in, in the living room. Slowly, careful not to wake the others, who had also fallen asleep in the living room, she climbed to her feet and made her way to the smaller bedroom, where she was supposed to have slept last night. Yawning, she opened the door, and stepped in, intending to finish her slumber on a nice, soft bed. That was, until she noticed the strange man asleep beneath the covers.  
  
Zell lay asleep, sprawled carelessly over a chair in a deep dream centered around Quistis and hotdogs. Shiva slept propped up against a cushion, snoring lightly and even drooling a little. Ifrit was stretched out across the cold tile floor, oblivious to anything around him. That is, until they heard Quistis' blood curtling scream from the other bed room.  
  
Ifrit and Shiva leaped up from their sleeping spots and ran after the source of the scream. Zell stood from his chair, tripped over his own feet, picked himself up from the floor and half ran, half stumbled behind Shiva and Ifrit.  
  
They walked into the room to find Quistis cowering against the wall while a tall, long-haired man in a pair of smiley face boxers smiled sheepishly, holding a black cowboy hat in front of him.  
  
"Who the hell are you?!" Quistis finally managed to get out.  
  
"Name's Irvine," he smiled, extending his free hand. "Pleased to meet a lovely lady such as yourself. Are you Rinoa?"  
  
She shook her head. "No. Did Seifer send you?"  
  
"No! I came back with uh... what's his name? Oh yeah, Squall. I'm a profesional demon hunter. Irvine Kinnease is the name... haven't you heard of me?"  
  
"I believe so," Shiva answered. "Irvine Kinnease... master demon slayer, profesional jackass."  
  
"Ah, Shiva. I don't recognise you when you're not biting some poor man's head off. How are you these days?"  
  
Before Shiva answered, Zell said, "Hey, you know, Quistis screamed pretty loudly, but neither Squall nor Rinoa came out. Do you think something's wrong with them? Maybe we should go check?"  
  
Quistis laughed. "They're fine, trust me. Let's leave them be."  
  
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Rinoa slowly opened her eyes and found herself staring at a solid wall of black. A loud noise had woken her, though she was in too deep a sleep to identify it. She lifted her hand up to rub her eyes, and found a heavy, but warm black coat covering her. She searched her memory of the night before, and vaguely remembered Squall carrying her to the room. Propping herself up on her elbow, she glanced over to find Squall, still in his boots, gloves, and sunglasses, sleeping next to her in his usual black attire. She smiled slightly, then realized this was the perfect opurtunity to steal his glasses. Rinoa carefully slid them off his face and folded them before hiding them in the nearby dresser.  
  
Now, for the first time, she could see his entire face, though his eyes were closed at the moment. She gently traced the faint scar down the center of his forehead with her fingertips, before drawing her finger down the bridge of his nose, and softly over his lips. Blushing, she dared to give him a quick kiss before snuggling up into his chest, hoping he was really asleep.  
  
Just then, she felt him stir slightly, and lift his hand to run over his eyes. As the cloud of sleep slowly drifted away, his hand paused in place over his eyes and he suddenly sat up. "My glasses!" he exclaimed looking around for them.  
  
(I've got you now) Rinoa thought, grinning to herself as she sat up next to him. "Something wrong?" she asked innocently.  
  
His body tensed upon hearing her voice, and Rinoa swore she could almost hear his mental curses. He kept his face turned away from her, but muttered, "You hid them didn't you? Give them back."  
  
She giggled lightly and shook her head. "Not until you let me see your eyes."  
  
"What's so damn special about my eyes, anyway?" he growled.  
  
"I'm just curious," she replied, inching closer to him. "Why do you want to hide them?"  
  
"I have a reason," he mumbled, still turned away.  
  
"Not good enough. I want an answer," she replied. "It's not as if I'm going to discover your deepest, darkest secret by looking into your eyes."  
  
"You're annoying, you know that?" he snapped. "Now give me back my glasses and leave me alone!"  
  
She slumped against the wall, moving away from him. "They're in the dresser."  
  
Ignoring the slight pang of guilt he felt upon hearing the pain and disapointment in her voice, he stood, careful to keep away from her, and began searching through the dresser for his precious shades. Once he found them, he unfolded them, and was about to slid them back on when he was sudenly tackled and pinned to the bed, his eyes wide open in surprise.  
  
Rinoa laughed, enjoying the success of her surprise attack, then took the oppurtunity to stare into the eyes that had always been hiden from her. They were deathly, icy cold, and were the bluest of any blue she'd ever seen. They held an enigma of caged emotions, an ocean of depth, and she felt that with those eyes he could see right through her soul, and peirce her heart. She almost felt she could read her destiny within him. But there was something more that caught her attention, and startled her from the hypnotic state that his unearthly gaze pulled her in to. In the center of his eyes, where the black pupils should have been, was an unmistakable cloudiness, giving his eyes a distant, unseeing look.  
  
"You're... you're blind?" she stammered, slowly sliding off to allow him to sit up.  
  
He nodded stonily, glaring at her. "I was. A long time ago. But the physical traces still remain."  
  
"Well, if you really can see now, then why do you try so hard to hide it?" she asked.  
  
"The only reason I can see now is because I'm no longer human. But people that see me, when I allow them to... they don't know that. They see my eyes, and they immediately pity me. I don't want anyone's pity. I had to live with it all my life."  
  
"When people pity you... it hurts your pride, doesn't it?" she said, more of an epiphany than a question. "But all your life? You were born that way?"  
  
"I guess you could say that it does hurt my pride. If that's how you wanna word it. But I wasn't born that way."  
  
"Then how did it happen?" she asked.  
  
"None of your business!" he snapped and started to get up.  
  
"Wait, Squall, please! Please tell me," she pleaded, taking hold of his hand.  
  
"Why, so you can go telling everyone about it?" he asked coldly.  
  
She shook her head, gazing into his eyes now that she finally could. "I wouldn't do that to you. If you don't want the others to know, then I promise I won't tell them. I just want to know more about you. I want to know what caused you so much pain."  
  
"A lot of things did," he answered, more softly now. "Pain is all I know."  
  
She stepped closer to him now, sliding her arms around his shoulders as she looked at him with shimmering eyes. "Squall..." she said, her voice trailing off as she fought for the right words to say. "If I could take it all away, I would. If I could do anything for you...."  
  
"But you can't," he finished for her and backed away, putting his glasses back on. "You can't do anything," he repeated. "So don't speak of it."  
  
She watched him, a defeated look on her face. "Fine. If that's how you want it," she said, trying her best to keep a calm voice. She wanted to cover her face with her hands, sit in the corner and have a good cry, but she too was a very proud person. So, instead, she blinked her tears away as best as she could, held her head high, and marched past him out the door.  
  
He stood, rooted to the spot and watched her walk out. "Rinoa..." he sighed as she left, and shook his head. No one had ever been able to make him feel bad about his attitude before she came along. "How do you do this to me?" he asked, receiving no response from the empty room, before following suit and walking out into the living room.  
  
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Rinoa walked away from the bitter words of one room, only to step into the chaos of another. Everyone sat in the living room, along with someone she didn't recognise, arguing loudly about something. She stood for a moment and listened.  
  
"If you don't shut your mouth Kinnease, I'm gonna break your face!" Shiva yelled standing from her spot and glaring down at the cowboy wanna- be.  
  
He raised his hands in a sign of surrender. "Don't get mad at me. They wanted to know."  
  
"You didn't have to tell them in detail!" Shiva yelled back.  
  
She was interrupted when Ifrit started laughing, "I can't believe Shiva ever even had a boyfriend. I thought she was completely void of emotion."  
  
"What are you guys talking about?" Rinoa interrupted, walking further into the room.  
  
"Shiva and Irvine used to date," Quistis announced. "And we were just going to breakfast at the cafe downstairs."  
  
"Who the hell's Irvine?" Rinoa asked exasperatedly. It had already been a long morning.  
  
Everyone pointed a finger to the loud-mouthed cowboy who was sitting on the couch. He grinned and extended a hand toward her. "Name's Irvine Kinnease. I'll be your demon hunter for the rest of this mission. You must be Rinoa. Pleased to meet you."  
  
"Yeah, you too," Rinoa replied, intending on shaking his hand, but being startled when he chose to kiss it instead.  
  
The loud clearing of a throat behind them sent Irvine jumping back and letting go of Rinoa's hand. Rinoa turned around to see Squall, seemingly glaring at Irvine and looking none too pleased.  
  
"Whatever we're going to do, we better do it now," he said. "We've got to get moving today. This isn't some vacation."  
  
Everyone nodded quietly, seeming to sense something dangerous in Squall's mood this morning. They quickly grabbed their things and headed out the door and to the elevator.  
  
"What did you do to him?" Zell whispered to Rinoa in the elevator.  
  
"Don't blame me," she snapped. "He brought it on himself."  
  
Once in the cafe, they were seated at a table for eight. Rinoa, unfortunately, had been traveling in the back of the group and was the last to be seated. There were two seats left open, one next to a grinning Irvine, and one next to a scowling Squall. Creepy as she thought Irvine was, she was in no mood to be anywhere near Squall, so she took the other option. Irvine's smile grew wider, and he scooted his chair closer to her's, attempting to put his arm over the back of the chair. Squall scowl deepened as he examined the scene before him. He cleared his throat again to get Irvine's attention, then cracked his fists ludly, sending a clear message. Irvine decided to stay over on his side of the table then.  
  
Quistis, who was seated next to Squall, leaned over to him and asked, "Jealous?"  
  
"Like hell," he replied through gritted teeth.  
  
Quistis sighed. "You're such a bad liar, Squall."  
  
"Shut up, Quistis," he replied.  
  
"What was that, Squall?" Quistis asked loudly. "You said something about Rinoa?" Everyone stared at Squall, Rinoa included.  
  
"Don't, Quistis," he growled under his breath.  
  
"You said you wished Rinoa had sat next to you?" she asked, being loud once again. "Is that what you said, Squall? I can't hear you when you mutter like that."  
  
"Quistis shut up, or you will be next in my 'little black book'" he hissed.  
  
There was an uncomfortable silence aft that. Zell was studying the menu intently, Shiva and Ifrit were having an unofficial staring contest, Quistis was counting her blessing that Squall was merciful, Irvine was taking extra care to make sure he stayed away from Rinoa, and Rinoa herself was deep in thought.  
  
Finally, she broke the silence by saying, "I need to use the rest room. I suppose I'll need an escort," she said, looking pointedly at Squall. Grudgingly he stood and followed her.  
  
He followed her towards the bathroom until she came to a stop, just out of sight of everyone in the cafe. She turned to him then, a serious look on her face.  
  
"Are you going to be like this the rest of the day?" she asked, annoyance in her voice.  
  
"If I feel like it," he replied.  
  
She shook her head. "I don't think so. If you have a problem with me, fine, but don't take it out on them, too."  
  
"I wouldn't have a problem if you weren't so damn nosy!" he said, his voice raising.  
  
"Shhh," she said. "You don't want everyone knowing about your 'girl problems' do you?" she asked with a slight giggle.  
  
He rolled his eyes. "Not funny."  
  
"Lighten up. Look, we've got to resolve this somehow. You have your points, but so do I," she said. "So now what?"  
  
"Forget about it!" he exclaimed again, his voice starting to rise once more.  
  
She put a finger to his lips and shook her head. "To be so secretive, you can be so loud when you get angry." She looked around and, finding a supply closet nearby, she pulled him into and closed the door, backing him up against a wall. "Now listen to me, Mr. Leonhart! I'm tired of arguing with you all the time. Something's gotta give, and it's not going to be me!" she stated, her face only inches from his.  
  
He back into the wall as far as he could, suddenly a little intimidated by her close proximity. "Can't we talk about this later?"  
  
She shook her head. "No. It's going to be settled now."  
  
"Well, hell Rinoa I don't know what you want for me!"  
  
"More than I can have," she mumbled.  
  
"What?" he asked, anger dropping from his tone.  
  
She shook her head and laughed suddenly. "For some reason I can't seem to stay mad at you," she said. (Especially not when you're so close) she added silently. She slid his glasses off again, recieving only a slightly annoyed gaze from him as she did so. "How did you get the scar?" she asked.  
  
"I got it at the same time I lost my eye sight," he answered.  
  
"An accident?"  
  
He nodded. "A car accident. I was only a little boy. It was raining and a car swerved off the road one night. Hit me and another boy."  
  
"I saw it happen," she said, realization sinking in.  
  
"Saw it happen?" he repeated.  
  
"Yesterday. When I kind of... blacked out. I saw the same thing happen. Next to the church where my mom was burried."  
  
He nodded. "Yeah. That stained glass window you were looking at was the last thing I ever saw as a human."  
  
She gazed into his eyes again, her own filling with tears as she thought of all the pain he must have endured because of one little accident. She ran her fingers through her hair, stood up on her tip toes and kissed his scar, as if in an attempt to make it go away. Settling back on her feet, her lips brushed against his briefly, and she felt her heart begin to flutter rapidly in her chest. Acting on sheer impulse and desire, she closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his. Even through the haze of pleasure this simple action brought her, however, she was surprised when she began to feel him kissing her back....  
  
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A/N: Well, there's another chapter down. Pretty quickly, too. Hope you liked it! 


	7. A Few too Many Traitors

A/N: Thanks for the reviews people! Some notes to some people:  
  
Exhile87: My website link can be found on my bio page. Last time I checked, however, my site wasn't working properly, though I've fixed it since then. So you can try it. It's on the Game Review page.  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Time seemed to stop as the two lost themselves in a blissful daze, suddenly oblivious to the rest of the world. Rinoa pressed herself against him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, and tugging gently at his bottom lip. She could feel his body tense even more as he gasped in surprise. She took it as an invitation to deepen the kiss, slowly sliding her tongue over his own. Hesitantly, he allowed his arms to slip around her waist, pulling her even tighter against him, even while the more logical part of his mind told him to leave now, to run away and never look back at the raven-haired beauty he now held in his arms. For the moment, however, a more primal part of his brain had surfaced and taken over, thoroughly enjoying the electricity pumping in his veins and surging through every nerve in his body. Even in life he'd never felt anything quite like this.  
  
Rinoa could feel herself getting carried away already, in public no less. No, this was not the time nor the place, she realized, using every ounce of will power in her body to pull away from him, face flushed and lips swollen. She put a hand over her mouth, realizing she was the cause in the first place, and wondered with a small amount of fear, what his reaction would be.  
  
Squall himself had gone rather pale, his eyes still widened in surprise. He took a moment to catch his breath and regain his wits before studying Rinoa's slighty worried expression. She was waiting for him to say something, he realized.  
  
"I... I guess we should get back to the others now," he said, avoiding the subject.  
  
"Yeah, we should," Rinoa agreed gladly. She watched him as he reached for the door knob and start to turn it before she gripped his arm, pulling it back. "Wait!" She pulled his sun glasses from the pocket she'd shoved them in, and slid them back onto his face, taking a moment to gaze into his eyes before she replaced the dark lenses.  
  
The corners of his lips twitched a little, in what Rinoa would've sworn was a faint smile, before he said, "Thanks. Wouldn't want my secret exposed."  
  
She smiled back at him and winked before opening the door and starting out. "Your secrets are safe with me."  
  
When the two reached the table, everyone else was eating all ready. As Rinoa sat down, this time next to Squall, Zell looked up at her and asked, "Geez Rinoa, what took you so long? Did you fall in and have to have Squall fish you out?"  
  
"I certainly fell into something," she murmered, causing Squall to blush.  
  
"What's going on with you two?" Irvine asked, disapointed now that Rinoa was no longer sitting next to him.  
  
"None of your business!" they both replied in unison, startling everyone. Squall and Rinoa looked at each other, then quickly looked away, both blushing.  
  
Rinoa stopped the waiter passing by and asked, "Can I get a glass of water?"  
  
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After breakfast, it was decided that Seifer should be tracked down in some form or another. For the moment, he hadn't caused any trouble, and it was better to catch him before he did. The only problem was, Seifer somehow managed to escape everyone's radar, seeming to drop off the face of the earth itself. How do you find someone that seems to have disapeared entirely? Luckily, a message was left at their hotel room, giving them a possible lead, though perhaps it would lead straight into a trap.  
  
"If you want to find Seifer, I can help you. I can lead you to him, and maybe help you catch him. Just come by the recently abandoned train station at four p.m. this after noon. No more than four of you. - Anonymous"  
  
"This is certainly strange," Quistis commented, reading over the note that had been slipped beneath the door one last time. "Do you think we should trust it, Squall?"  
  
He shrugged. "It sounds suspicious to me, but what choice do we have? How else are we going to find Almasy?"  
  
"I vote against it," Zell said. "It sounds too dangerous."  
  
"Then you don't have to go," Squall replied. "Only four can go, anyways."  
  
"I should go. In case you surprised by any demons," Irvine said. "I need some action anyway, since there's none to be found around this hotel."  
  
Quistis rolled her eyes, but said, "Perhaps I should stay. I'm not sure I'd be much help."  
  
"Ifrit and I will certainly accompany you," Shiva spoke up. "We'll make sure things don't go wrong."  
  
"Then it's settled. Me, Irvine, Shiva, and Ifrit," Squall said.  
  
"Wait! I want to go, too!" Rinoa said, resolutely.  
  
Squall shook his head. "Don't think so. It would be too much of a risk. Too many things could go wrong, and our mission is to protect you. Chances are, this is a trap. So you're staying, no arguement."  
  
Rinoa stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. "But what if that's just what they want you to do? Leave me here with fewer guards than usual... it could be the oppurtunity they're looking for. At least if I go with you, then you can gaurd me even if something does go wrong."  
  
"She has a point," Shiva sighed. "You are her guardian, Squall. You're supposed to stay with her at all times. Ifrit can stay behind."  
  
"I don't know..." his voice trailed off in doubt.  
  
"Please, Squall?" Rinoa asked, sitting down next to him and pouting slightly.  
  
Squall sighed in defeat. He couldn't stand to see her pout like that. (What's happening to me?) he wondered. (I shouldn't let this woman get over on me! Oh well... At least this way I can keep an eye on her. Nothing will happen to her so long as I'm around) he promised himself, much to his own surprise. Since when did he care? "Alright, fine. You can come. Just don't get in the way."  
  
Rinoa smiled in happiness and threw her arms around him. "Thanks Squall!"  
  
"Yeah, okay, get off of me!" he growled, shoving her arms away. He could feel his cheeks burning with embarresment as everyone stared at them. Rinoa soon realized her mistake, and complied with his wishes.  
  
"So..." Zell began, breaking the ackward silence. "What do we do until then?"  
  
"Prepare. Rest up. Whatever you want to do, I guess," Squall replied.  
  
"Cool!" Zell exclaimed. "I'm gonna go help some old ladies cross the street or something. Earn some extra credit for those wings."  
  
"Across the street," Quistis repeated. "Where the hotdog bar just happens to be?"  
  
"Well, sure. Maybe I'll have an early lunch." A sly grin came over Zell's face. "Care to have brunch with me, Quistis?"  
  
She rolled her eyes and shrugged. "So long as you're buying."  
  
"I'm gonna watch the football game," Ifrit said, grabing the remote. "How 'bout you, Shiv?"  
  
"I'll be off somewhere training," she replied, taking hold of her weapon.  
  
"Then it's just me, Irvine, Squall and Rinoa," Ifrit said. "We can all watch the football game."  
  
"I don't think so," Rinoa replied. "I'm going to watch TV in my own room."  
  
"Just us men then," Irvine said, looking from himself, to Ifrit, to Squall.  
  
"No thanks. Football bores me," Squall replied, getting up and following Rinoa into her room, though nervously. He was uncertain what might happen between them, or what might be said, but he perferred her company over that of two overly-hormonal male perverts.  
  
As soon as the door was closed behind them, Rinoa grabbed Squall by the collar of his coat and pulled him into another heated kiss. Hard as he tried to resist it, his will failed him for once, and he found himself responding once again. This time, she was more bold, more confident of herself now that she knew of how he would respond. And he did respond, with just as much need as she did, but more shyly, still uncertain of everything he was feeling. When Rinoa broke away for a brief moment to catch her breath, Squall used the oppurtunity to back away from her, his only weakness.  
  
"Rinoa, we have to stop this," he said, shaking his head.  
  
"Why?" she asked, looking at him with pleading eyes.  
  
"Why? There a million reasons why. I could lose my job for this, for one thing. It's my mission to protect you, and that's it. I'm not supposed to get involved with you in any other way, physical or emotional. You're alive, you're human, and I'm... not. You belong with another human being, Rinoa. It's that simple."  
  
She shook her head. "No, it's not. Who says anyone has to know about it, anyway? And just because you're not living now, you once were. You were once human, just like me. There's something between us, I know there is. Otherwise, I wouldn't have seen the things that I did. I saw your past. That has to mean something."  
  
He sighed. "Rinoa, there's no covering it up. They know everything that goes on. And besides, once this is all over, I'll probably never even see you again!" he explained, suddenly stopping at his came to this realization. It wasn't an idea that he liked, never being able to see Rinoa again. He took a deep breath, swallowing his emotions, and continued. "You seeing my past was strange, I'll admit, but it could've just been a coincidence. I... you and I...." he faltered, not wanting to say what he was going to. To say that they didn't belong together would be saying too much on his part, admitting certain feelings that he wasn't ready to admit to yet. "It's just not right, Rinoa. We have to stop."  
  
She turned away from him, arms crossed over her chest, and asked in small voice, "What happens if you lose your job?"  
  
"Anything could happen," he replied. "Anything from a demotion, to being discharged all together. Termination..." he let his voice trail off, not wanting to think about the consequences.  
  
She nodded. "Fine. I see. Your career means a lot to you, I know, so I won't endanger it."  
  
He sighed again. He didn't want her to think that he was that selfish, to care about his job and nothing else. So, for once, he spoke from his heart, telling her his real reason for concern, though reluctantly. "I don't want you to get hurt," he said quietly. "And that's all this will ever amount to."  
  
She faced him once again, removing his glasses and staring into his pain-filled eyes, hiding so much, yet revealing everything to those who could actually read it. "There's been a lot of pain in your life," she murmered. "I don't want to add to it."  
  
"Damn it! Quit making me feel guilty!" he growled.  
  
She laughed a little. "I'm not. You're doing that to yourself. Not all of life is pain, you know."  
  
"I'm not living anymore," he responded softly.  
  
"Did you ever really live, Squall?" she asked him seriously.  
  
"I lived alone. No one wanted anything to do, in those day, with someone that was blind."  
  
She rested her head on his shoulder, her face burried in his neck. He could feel her hot tears gliding slowly down his throat, sending chills up his spine. "Don't cry for me," he whispered.  
  
She worked to control her tears for a moment before raising her head, so that she could look into his eyes again. "I'm not going to give up on you," she said. "I don't care if I get hurt. You need this as much as I do, even if it can never last."  
  
"But Rinoa-" he began in protest.  
  
Rinoa cut him off with a gentle kiss. "No buts. Now I'm going to relax some before we have to go. You're free to join me, of course," she told him before stepping away from him and laying across the bed to watch TV.  
  
He could only stare at her for the longest time, trying to figure out why she would risk heart ache just to heal his old wounds. She certainly was an enigma... one that he found himself helplessly drawn to.  
  
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Three fourty-five rolled around sooner than everyone had hoped. Squall, Rinoa, Shiva, and Irvine prepared for the short journey to the train station, which had been abandoned and covered in yellow police tape since the shootings. In fact, most of the surrounding area had been abandoned, as if the bad aura of the place of some many deaths had driven everyone else away.  
  
It was easy enough to get in through the police lines, and bright orange markers, but once outside the front entrance, all four came to a stop, wondering if they should go through with it. Silence passed between them, until at last Shiva spoke up, examining her watch.  
  
"It's three fifty-nine," she announced flatly. "Now or never."  
  
Squall nodded and pulled open the door to the large building. "Rinoa, don't touch anything. Don't want the police linking any evidence to you."  
  
Rinoa nodded as stepped through the door, her eyes taking in the sight of the deadly aftermath as soon as she entered. Shattered glass, torn insilation, and crumbled stone littered the floor, along with the deep red stains that marked each person's place of demise. The air inside was still, and dusty, the building having been closed off for quite a long while. Dull sunlight shown in through a set of busted windows on one side, spilling eerie illumination over the now sacred room. Rinoa stopped in her tracks, having wandered in a little ways, and began to shutter slightly, as scenes of the victims' final moments flashed through her mind, bringing with it all the pain, anger and confusion that now echoed silently off the walls. She could see Seifer, his remorseless eyes staring down each one of his victims before closing in on them. She could also see an accomplise of his, a gray-haired woman with a patch over one eye. She stood at the door, guarding the entrance.  
  
"Rinoa... Rinoa!" Squall was shaking her again, startling her from her trance. "Rinoa, are you alright?"  
  
She nodded shakily. "Yeah. I'll be fine. Let's just get going," she mumbled, starting to walk ahead.  
  
"That won't be necessary," a hoarse female voice said from the shadows ahead. "Stay where you are. I'll reveal myself."  
  
The same gray-haired woman that Rinoa had seen earlier stepped into the light, a nervous frown upon her face. Rinoa bit back a gasp, and felt the need to warn Squall about her, but kept silent for the moment. Her instincts told her to wait and hear what this woman had to say.  
  
"My name is Fujin," she said, looking from one person to the next. "I was once Seifer's partner in crime. One of them, anyway. But now, I want to turn him in. I would like to help you catch him."  
  
"Why should we trust you?" Squall asked. "Why would you betray your partner?"  
  
"I have many reasons," she answered. "There is rather large bounty on his head, for one. He has disturbed the balance of life and death, and no one is happy about it. They all want him caught as much as you do. There is much to gain from disposing of him."  
  
"You would betray your friend just for a reward?" Rinoa asked.  
  
"There are more personal reasons," she said darkly. "My family... my living family... they were to be spared. After all, I was one of his best friends, so I believed he would stick to his promise. I was wrong. He killed them all, behind my back no less," her voice dripped with bitterness and hatred at this last sentence, and her fists clenched. "I want revenge."  
  
"I still don't trust you," Squall said.  
  
"I don't blame you. However, I intend prove myself in time. I will start by stepping forward now, in surrender, as I am unarmed. But first, I must warn you of something," she said, stepping closer.  
  
"What's that?" Squall asked, fully expecting an ambush.  
  
Instead, Fujin looked from one person to another, as if trying to recognize them, then said, "There is a traitor amoung you."  
  
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A/N: Oooh, a cliff hanger. Wonder who the traitor is? Is it Shiva, Ifrit, Irvine, Quistis, or Zell? I'm not even gonna try to pass off Squall and Rinoa 'cause we all know it's not them. Anyway, please review! 


	8. Optical Illusion in the Land of the Blin...

A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks so much for the reviews. No, for the gripping conclusion...  
  
Chapter 8  
  
"A traitor?" Rinoa repeated, looking around. "Who? Are they here?"  
  
"Yes," Fujin replied, her eyes settling on one person in particular. "Right next to you."  
  
Rinoa observed the two people next to her. Squall and Irvine. "Irvine?" she asked quietly.  
  
"If only," Fujin replied. "Squall, perhaps you know who I'm talking about?"  
  
He shook his head, one eye brow raised. "I don't know what your talking about. If I knew who the traitor was, I would've done something about it already," he replied, his tone silently implying the word 'duh'.  
  
Fujin took several steps forward, reaching Rinoa before anyone could say anything about it, and placing a hand on her forehead. "There is something you should all see, and I will use the Keeper to show you. You will all see who the real traitor is!"  
  
She returned her attention to Rinoa, concentrating for a moment while Rinoa fell into a trance-like state. Then, suddenly, her eyes shot open, light shining from them and projecting a scene onto the wall ahead. It was Squall, leaning against some building, fatigue and frustration clear on his face. Beside him stood Seifer, who was saying something, though there was no sound to the image. Seifer said something, to which Squall gave a slight nod, then Seifer laughed and walked away, the image going blank and the strange light in Rinoa eyes dying away.  
  
"Now you see..." Fujin said slowly. "The man that had led you all this time is the true traitor."  
  
Irvine and Shiva were silent, unsure of what to say, or do. The evidence they'd just witnessed was damning, but it was difficult to believe that Squall would do such a thing.  
  
"I'm no traitor!" Squall burst out, angrily. "That isn't proof of anything!"  
  
Rinoa, who was still in a hypnotic state, took a deep breath, and started to collapse. Squall, who was closest to her, instinctively reached out and caught her, inciting an outburst from his two comrades.  
  
"Leave her alone!" Irvine exclaimed, stepping closer to Squall in a threatening manner.  
  
Squall picked the unconcious Rinoa up, never backing down from the enraged demon hunter. "Your accusations are misplaced," he said. "What reason do you have to believe her?"  
  
"The images were taken from Rinoa's mind," Shiva argued. "It has to be real. The Keeper does not store false memories. You were associated with Seifer."  
  
"Put her down, now," Irvine instructed, drawing his gun. "We will protect her at all costs."  
  
Squall shook his head, his eyes darting around, looking for some form of escape. It was obvious that the two were set on catching the 'traitor' and rescuing Rinoa. Perhaps it would've made more sense to surrender and prove his innocense, then it would to run, but Squall wouldn't have that. Though logically he knew Rinoa would be perfectly safe with Irvine and Shiva, his possesive instincts kicked in, making him more determined than ever to keep her with him. There was no escape through the front, back, or any of the sides. They would anticipate it. His only option was by air, though it would involve going through the ceiling.  
  
Backing away a few steps, still sheltering Rinoa in his arms, his hidden, white-feathered wings stretched out behind his back, still stiff from being folded away so long. "You guys have made a big mistake," he muttered, before taking off and crashing through the concrete roof with his back. Irvine fired a couple of shots after him, but each one missed. The only thing they could do was stare after him, dust and chunks of building material raining down on them.  
  
"What now?" Shiva asked, sighing.  
  
Suddenly the doors to the station burst open, revealing a panting Quistis and Zell, concern written over their faces.  
  
"We just received a message," Zell said, hands resting on his knees while he attempted to catch his breath. "We ran all the way from the resturaunt..."  
  
"We were aproached by an official messanger. It's an emergency," Quistis continued for him. "They've just discovered something about Squall. They said he's betrayed us all. He's been officially deemed an enemy."  
  
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When Rinoa awoke, she found herself leaning against a cold stone wall, but with Squall's black trench coat layed over her. Looking out, she could see tall pillars sillouhetted against the fading sunlight, along with a familar shadow sitting on the edge, head in his heads and one knee drawn up to his chest.  
  
Rinoa slowly stood wrapping his comfortable coat around her as she stepped closer, examining him from behind. He had on only his normal black T-shirt, which had two large rips down the back, exposing two fading scars and lines of bold black ink.  
  
She continued walking until she came to stand beside him, then backed up a few steps when she realized they were on top of a skyscraper. "Squall...?" she said his name quietly.  
  
He picked his head up from his hands, turning to look at her with tired eyes. The sun glasses were gone now. He studied her for a moment, the turned to look at the sky, commenting, "You know, it's been a while since I've really watched the sun set."  
  
She sat down near him, afraid to move any closer to the edge. Upon seeing her aprehension, he let out a slight laugh, and said, "It's alright to come closer. I won't let you fall."  
  
Taking a deep breath and summoning her courage, she scooted closer, until she was sitting next to him, heart thumping widly in her chest as she looked down at the cars racing below. Slowly, she allowed her eyes to travel up from the street to her companion, who had a weary, distant look on his face. He was now leaning back a little, propped up on his hands. Hesitantly, somewhat afraid of his strange mood, she placed her hand over his, then joined him in his silent observation.  
  
Finally, after an eternity of silence had passed between them, she gathered the guts to ask him the question that had been bothering her since she first awoke. "Squall... what happened?"  
  
"Everyone thinks I betrayed them," he replied quietly. "They turned on me, because of what they saw."  
  
Rinoa nodded. "Yeah, I saw it too."  
  
He was quiet for another minute, before saying, "If you want me to take you back to the others, I will."  
  
She shook her head and picked up his hand, running her long, slender finger over his. "No, I trust you. No matter what I saw... I believe you. I wanna stay with you."  
  
He finally met her gaze, and for a moment she would almost have sworn there were tears in his eyes. "Thank you," he said finally. Though the words were simple, Rinoa knew they meant a lot, and that he had spoken them sincerely.  
  
"So, they thought you were in league with Seifer, but they still let you take off with me?"  
  
"They tried to get you back," he replied blushingly. "I... um... wouldn't let them."  
  
A wide smile came over her face, and she leaned against his arm. "So... does this mean you like me?" she asked, her lips just a few inches away from his ear.  
  
"Don't get too excited," he answered. "It's just that you're under my supervision... my responsibility. I don't really trust anyone to take over my responsibilities. So I thought I'd just watch over you by myself for the time being. Unless you have a problem with it, of course. If not, then you'll be stuck with me for a while. So speak now."  
  
"I don't think I'd mind being stuck with you for a while," she replied truthfully. "It'll give us plenty of time alone together. But where will we go? What will we do? I mean, we still have to work on the mission."  
  
"No. I have to work on the mission. You are my mission. I don't know where we'll go. We might be in hiding a lot. And this isn't a vacation. It's not some oppurtunity for you to be alone with me, whatever you think that's gonna accomplish."  
  
"Whatever," she replied, grinning. "Now let's go. I don't like heights."  
  
He stood up tiredly and stretched. "Alright, but first we have to decide where to go. Any ideas?"  
  
"You're asking me?" she sounded surprised.  
  
"From now on, we should probably make descions together. We have to stick together, if you want to stay with me. So we should cooperate as much as possible."  
  
"Well, maybe we should skip town for awhile. Go somewhere far away from here where they'll never think to look for us. We can just.... runaway from it all...." she said.  
  
"No, we can't runaway. Whatever we do, we can't do that. I'm still duty-bound, and you're still in danger. I think we should head to Dollet... I have a strange feeling that'll be the next place Seifer strikes"  
  
"I've never been to Dollet before. This could be fun," she thought aloud.  
  
"Like I said, this isn't a vacation," he replied over his shoulder, as he started inside the building to take the elevator down. "Get those childish notions out of your head."  
  
"Aw, you know you like me," she teased, wrapping her arms around his shoulders from behind.  
  
"Whatever," he answered, which only made her laugh more because she could see him blushing at her remark. Maybe he really did 'like her'.  
  
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The train ride to Dollet was long, and mostly silent, the seriousness of the situation finally dawning on the two. In a lot of ways, Rinoa had come to think of her guardians as being her friends. It was hard to imagine now that she wouldn't be seeing them for quite a while. It was her own choice, she knew, but it was a difficult one, none the less. Still, if her guardians were her friends, then Squall was her best friend. No, that wasn't really true. Squall meant more to her than anyone else she knew, but he was something much more than just a friend. In fact, she wasn't quite sure what to call him. He was something different, that was for sure.  
  
The train reached Dollet sometime around the next morning, the sun just starting peak over the horizon. Dollet had an old, almost Gothic style archeatecter, and a very small population. The few people that strolled along the quiet, mostly empty streets, were mysterious, suspicious looking people that didn't look to be the least bit friendly.  
  
"Wow..." Rinoa commented as she and Squall walked to the local hotel. "Everyone around here has a stick up their ass... are you sure you didn't grow up here Squall?" she asked.  
  
He shot her a look of some sort, though she couldn't read it for he'd replaced his glasses. "No, I didn't grow up here, but I did spend some time here when I was older. It's exactly as I remember it, too... well, the same scent of ocean, the silence... I don't know if it looks the same. Anyway, people stay out of your business around here, and that's what I wanted. Things here are a lot different than in Deling City. They have a different culture here. So be careful what you say, and don't be surprised if things are quite different. They will be."  
  
Rinoa turned her attention away from her companion momentarily to study the people around her once more. A lot of them had peircings through the noses, lips, eyebrows, navels, and otherwise. They were also decorated in various places with colored ink, that reminded Rinoa of the strange markings down the side of Zell's face. It was something rarely seen in Deling City, and those that peirced themselves or marked themselves in Deling were generally avoided.  
  
"Why are they all peirced, and stuff?" Rinoa asked quietly.  
  
"Part of their society," he explained. "Peircings and tattoos are considered art here, where they may not be in other places. Sometimes, it has spiritual relevence, as well."  
  
"Spiritual relevence?" she repeated. "Do they worship a different kind of god, or something? And did you ever get any 'art' done of your own while you were here?"  
  
"No, their religion is the same pretty much, they just have their different ways of going about it. They don't have churches here, they have temples, but they pretty much have the same use. Back when I lived here, the people were divided into different groups, that followed different sets of rules... I don't know how it is now. Members of a group all had the same peircings and tattoos, in addition to their own. Their different beliefs, I guess, was just up to their personal preference, or how they were raised," he answered.  
  
"You never answered my second question," she pointed out.  
  
"It's none of your business," he replied.  
  
During all their talking, the had come upon the hotel, a large, stone building with a flashing neon sign with some foreign language on it.  
  
"This is it," he said, opening the door for Rinoa, in a very gentlemen-like manner.  
  
"How can you tell? You can read their writing?" she asked.  
  
His normally emotionless face took on a hint of amuseument. "There are certain things you have to know when you travel around the world collecting the dead."  
  
She smacked her forehead in mock stupidity as she walked through the door. "Of course, silly me. The Angel of Death is all-knowing."  
  
Shaking his head, he stepped up to the front counter, speaking to the woman there in another language, and fluently at that. She nodded and gave him a key to the room after he pulled some gil from his pocket and payed her.  
  
"I'm amazed at your people skills," Rinoa commented as they headed up to their room.  
  
He grumbled a reply and opened the door to their room. It was a simple room, with only a double bed, a table and two chairs, a bathroom, and a balcony over-looking the town's main street. Rinoa wondered in and plopped down on the bed, running her fingers over the simple blue fabric of the covers. Squall glanced around the room, an unmistakable look of boredom on his face as he reached behind him and scratched at his shoulder blades.  
  
"I didn't know dead people were ichy," Rinoa giggled.  
  
"It's always a side effect I suffer," he replied. "Since I rarely use my wings, it iches and burns everytime I do. I also ruined my favorite shirt."  
  
"Yeah, I noticed the two big rips in the back. I'm sure there are plenty other plain black T-shirts you can buy, though. In the meantime, however..." her voice trailed off as she stood up, pushed his coat off, and pulled his shirt over his head, momentarily inspecting the tears in the back.  
  
"Hey! W-what are you doing?!" he demanded, trying to hide his stammer.  
  
"I might could fix this, but I was always terrible at sewing, so..." her voice trailed off once more as she looked at him, her eyes suddenly drawn to the well defined muscles of his chest. "So, you work out, huh?" she asked, grinning. She knew she probably shouldn't but she couldn't resist running a hand down his chest, feeling him tense at her mere touch. She stepped behind him and gasped as she saw his back. There was a large tattoo of a winged lion in black ink spread over his shoulder blades. The scars from the day before were mostly gone, however.  
  
"You did get a tattoo," she murmered, reaching out to trace the lines with her fingertip, but freezing as soon as she touched it.  
  
The world before her went blank again, as another vision came to mind. It was a darkened street, with only a few neon street signs to light the way. A man stepped into the dim light of a half-lit business sign, revealing one dull blue eye with stray strands of blonde hair haging down his forehead. His other eye was swollen eternally shut, a wide scar running down his eyelid to the top of his cheek bone. He stood impatiently, eyeing his surroundings nervously until he heard a crashing sound in the shadows in front of him, and watched as the person he'd been waiting for stepped into the light.  
  
"What did you want?" he asked angrily, his clouded blue eyes staring at the ground, but never seeing it.  
  
"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" the first man spoke. "Never thought I'd see you again after you left Deling..."  
  
"Get to the point."  
  
"Fine," he sighed. "I've been doing some investigating... you may have moved on and forgotten, but I haven't. Anyway, I discovered some things I thought you should know. What happened to us... it wasn't an accident."  
  
The other man lifted his head, eyes focused on the area he'd determined was the source of the voice. "You're full shit, you know that? You tracked me down here and asked me to meet you just to tell me this?"  
  
"It's important... there's much more to it than there seems. Something deep is going on here, and I'm determined to find out why. There's something here... I think I can find some answers here, if you help me. Aren't you in the least bit curious? Don't you want to find the one that messed up your life and get revenge?"  
  
He turned away, but said over his shoulder, "I'm through with this. All you want is your glory, and I won't have any part of it. Go back to Deling. Dollet doesn't take to people like you."  
  
With that he walked away, traces of a black tattoo just barely visible through his shirt.  
  
Rinoa took a deep breath, and felt read to collapse, but Squall was already holding her, supporting her. She smiled as she thought of this and rested against him, saying, "I saw things again... you were there, talking to someone. This is so confusing..."  
  
"I know it is," he replied ackwardly, unsure of how to comfort her. "It'll make sense eventually."  
  
"If you say so..." she answered, tightening her hold on him and placing a small kiss on his lips. "Just so long as you're here, I know I can handle it."  
  
"Rinoa..." he began, but was cut short by a loud crashing from the lobby downstairs, followed by several screams....  
  
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A/N: Well, I know I said the traitor wouldn't be Squall, but I changed my mind while typing this. Obviously something fishy is going on, but I wonder who's to blame...? 


	9. Issues of Trust

A/N: Wassup people? Thanks for the reviews!  
  
To Everyone: I just wanted to make it clear that it wasn't my intention to be deceptive. When I finished chapter 7, I had it in my mind that Irvine was going to be the traitor, but when I start writing ch. 8, I realized it fell a bit flat, and the writing needed a twist. So that's why I said Squall wasn't going to the traitor (originally he wasn't) and then he was.  
  
Chapter 9  
  
A moment ago, Rinoa was ready to fall asleep where she stood, but now her eyes opened wide, and her head shot up from its comfortable spot on Squall's chest.  
  
"What was that?!" Rinoa demanded.  
  
Squall grabbed his tattered shirt and pulled it on over his head, unsure whether or not he was glad, or annoyed at this sudden interruption. "I have a pretty good idea..." his voice trailed off. "Either way, we're going to find out. Come on," he said as he headed out the door.  
  
She followed behind him silently, as they hurried down the stairs. Upon reaching the lobby, they found a group of people had gathered around one woman, who was covered in blood. They were all shouting in their strange language, and though Rinoa couldn't understand a word of it, it was clear to her that they were panicking. The girl in the middle of the crowd had short, brown hair streaked with bright red, two hoops in each eyebrow and one through her nose. She wore a white halter top, now soaked with red, that showed off the elaborate tattoo of a phoenix on her back. She also wore a light blue skirt with silver chains and trinkets hanging from her waist, and a pair of scruffy brown boots.  
  
Squall stood on the outskirts of the crowd listening while the girl explained her story for what was perhaps the hundreth time. Once she was finished, Squall turned to Rinoa and explained, ""She just came from one of their temples. She said a tall man with blonde hair came in with a gun, and started killing people. She barely escaped with her life, and was lucky not to be injured, herself. I knew Seifer would come here... I knew it."  
  
"How? How did you know?" Rinoa asked.  
  
"He's going in order," Squall mumbled, somehwat to himself. "From where it started, and to each place that followed afterward..."  
  
"Where what started? Squall, you're not making much sense!" Rinoa exclaimed.  
  
"It's nothing," he replied. "But I think I know where he'll be going next. We need to leave for the town of Timber next. It's too late for this place, now."  
  
"Squall... you know something I don't. Tell me, please. If we're going to work on this together, we can't keep secrets," she argued.  
  
"It's no secret," he growled in reply. "It's just not for you to know."  
  
"We will discuss this later, Mr. Leonhart!" Rinoa shot back, angrily. "The crowd's breaking up, though, so maybe we should go talk to the witness. Or you should, anyway."  
  
Squall nodded and approached the shaken girl. She took note of them immediately, and said, "You are not from here, no?" in a weird accent.  
  
"That's right," Squall said. "We're from Deling City, but we're familiar with Dollet. Can you tell us what happened to you? It would be of great help to us, if you could. This has happened before, and we're attempting to stop it."  
  
She was silent for a moment, interpreting his words, then said, "If I can, I will help you. Xu, I am called. Today, I visited the temple that is of my group. I did as normal... he came, then. He killed many people, a man with bright eyes and hair. I think, evil he was. Great evil, I sensed from him. Many friends now are dead. Only I am left, to carry on our..." she paused for a moment, searching for the right word, "religion."  
  
"Did he say why?" Rinoa asked gently.  
  
"Say..." her voice trailed off. "He said, 'redemption' I think. Know what it means, I do not. Many things there are, that he said. That word, he spoke many times."  
  
Squall nodded. "Yes, thank you. We should go now."  
  
He turned to leave, but Rinoa grabbed him by the arm and held him in place. "We're very sorry for your loss," Rinoa said gently.  
  
"Thank you," Xu replied quietly.  
  
Rinoa tugged on his arm and pulled him toward the stair case to go back to their room. Squall took note of the irritated look upon her face, and knew he was in for another lecture, or at least another arguement. Slowly, a corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk as he thought of how many times they'd argued, and how she always seemed so determined to change his ways by yelling at him. He would almost go so far as to say she was 'cute' when she's angry... but not quite.  
  
"What is it now, Rinoa?" he asked, trying to mask his amuesment as he took a seat on the bed.  
  
"You're a real jerk, you know that?" she began, shutting the door to their room behind her. "You're just wonderful with the people, aren't you?"  
  
"I never claimed to be," he replied honestly.  
  
She sighed. "That's beside the point. What is it that you're keeping from me, Squall? There's something you know about Seifer that you're not telling me, I know it. If we're going to be a team, we have to trust each other. I already proved to you that I trusted you. Now why don't you trust me?!" she demanded, sitting beside him and gazing into his eyes with a look of pure desperation in her eyes. "I need you to trust me."  
  
He let out a frustrated growl, the humor of his mood ivaporating in that instant. "It's not a matter of trust! I wish you'd understand that. A lot of things have happened to me, a lot of it involving Seifer. But just because I know Seifer well enough to know what he's thinking doesn't mean anything. I came to know him through my own misfortune, and that's all there is to tell. The rest is irrelevent. You just want to know because you're nosy," he accused, his temper getting the better of him. "You need to learn to mind your own damn business and stay out of mine!"  
  
She stood up suddenly, crossing the room, and stood with her back to him, arms crossed over her chest. "Maybe it was a mistake trusting you," she said quietly. "Maybe you should take me back to the others now."  
  
He hung his head, exhaling in a disgusted sigh. At that moment, he was very disgusted with himself. He really hadn't meant to explode at her, but the pressure of the situation, paired with the sudden revelation that he was, for the first time in a long time, utterly on his own with no help from his superiors, had created a deadly stress within him, and he'd taken it out on her.  
  
"Rinoa..." he began slowly, "don't... don't go. You're the only one that believes me. If you leave, then... then..."  
  
"Then you're on your own?" she finished, turning to watch him. "That's right, I'm all you have left now. You need me, Squall. Admit it."  
  
"I... I..." he struggled with a surge of emotions as they battled with his pride. He couldn't admit to this, not after all the times he'd sworn to himself that he didn't need anyone. But really, where would he be right now without her? He would fail without her.  
  
"Say it," she pressed. "You know it's the truth."  
  
He opened his mouth again, trying to form the words he knew were right, but his battered ego was determined to hold on to it's last shred of dignity. "Damnit, Rinoa, don't make me do this," was all he could manage, sounding almost as if he were pleading.  
  
She realized then, for the first time, how hard it all must be on him. Everything he'd believed and lived by had suddenly failed, and now all he had left was a reality that he had scorned for most of his existence. She quickly crossed the room and kneeled down in front of him, so that they were eye to eye. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't realize how hard this must be on you." She searched his face for any sign of acceptance, and ran a few fingers through his silky brown hair, gently pushing it behind his ear. Yet again, she found her eyes settling on his lips, which tempted her in ways she couldn't understand. She leaned in, hoping to close the distance between them, but he backed away slightly.  
  
"No, Rinoa," he said, shaking his head. "We can't. I told you before..."  
  
She rolled her eyes slightly, and moved closer to him. "I don't care what you said before. All these mortal and non-mortal rules... do you do everything by the rules?"  
  
"Yeah," he answed as if it were obvious.  
  
She laughed, standing up then boldly sliding into his lap. "Well, I don't. And anyway, aren't you already breaking the rules? You took off with me, and turned your back on your comrades."  
  
"That was their fault," he replied, trying to ignore the wave of physical sensations that were stirring in his body from her close proximity.  
  
"And what about when you were human?" she asked. "You always played by the rules then?"  
  
"Yes," he answered in a shaky voice, her warm breath against his ear, and her body heat pressed so closely against him beginning to have dangerous effects on his resolve.  
  
"Then I think it's about time you started living," she said, and, without waiting for a reply, captured his lips with hers and kissed him with all the passion that had been growing inside of her since their last kiss.  
  
Despite that he was so insistent on them avoiding such phsyical activity, he almost immediately began to return her advances, his arms wrapping tightly around her and crushing her to his body. He accepted her gentle, but passionate kisses, then in turn kissed her harder, a new part of himself stepping forward and demanding that his growing need for her be satisfied. Before she could stop herself, she yanked his shirt off over his head, breaking their intense kiss for a small moment, then getting back at it with just as much fervor as before. She ran her hands over every inch of his upper body, the feel of his tense muscles and bare skin exciting her even more. She scrapped her nails down his chest, and heard him let loose a low groan that sent shivers down her body. She forcefully shoved him down, slamming his back on the bed as she became more impatient. There was something about him that she couldn't quite place, something that drove her crazy in a way that no other man had been able to do before. Just as she was thinking that she had him right where she wanted him (literally) a loud ringing shattered the moment. Rinoa drew away dissapointedly as Squall reached for the phone.  
  
"Just let it ring," Rinoa grumbled as she considered snatching the phone out of the wall and throwing it out the window.  
  
"I wish I could," he mumbled, "but it might be important."  
  
He answered the phone, muttering a hello, and was greeted by a, "Squall Leonhart, give us Rinoa, now!"  
  
Squall layed back on the bed, Rinoa still sitting on top of him, and handed her the phone, "It's for you."  
  
"Hello?" Rinoa asked, slightly confused as she wondered who would be calling her.  
  
"Rinoa!" she heard Quistis' voice exclaim from the other end. "You're alright! Squall hasn't hurt you or anything has he? Is he taking you to Seifer?"  
  
"Oh please," Rinoa replied. "I'm perfectly fine. Squall and I are trying to track down Seifer, with or without your help. I don't know why you were so quick to believe that Squall is a traitor, but-"  
  
"We recived an official message," Quistis interrupted. "As in, from the people upstairs. They know he's a traitor as well, and they've warned us. You're in danger, Rinoa. We managed to track you down in Dollet, and we're on our way there now. If you can just stall until tomorrow, then we'll be able to save you."  
  
Rinoa looked down at Squall, who was watching her intently, taking in all her features while he thought she wouldn't notice. She smiled down at him, carresing his face, with her finger tips, and said to Quistis, "I don't care who said what. I trust Squall. And you should, too."  
  
"We're still coming after you, Rinoa," she said. "We can't let you stay with Squall. We won't let you stay with him, he is a danger to you."  
  
"Whatever you say, Quistis. It's been nice talking to you," she replied, then hung up the phone.  
  
"They're coming after me," she told Squall. "We have to be out of here by tomorrow. I'm going to the bathroom for a quick shower, then we need to look into catching a train to the Timber place you talked about," she explained, then paused for a moment, a mischevious smile spreading over her face. She leaned down over him again, and brushed her lips against his before thrusting her tongue into his mouth and kissing him long, and hard. When she was finished she whispered against his ear, "Your welcome to join me," then stood up and headed into the bathroom, leaving a breathless, wide- eyed Squall behind.  
  
As she closed the door to the bathroom, he simply lay there, catching his breath, and managed to murmer to himself, "... Wow..."  
  
[~][~][~][~][~][~][~][~][~][~][~][~][~][~][~][~][~][~][~][~][~][~][~][~][~][ ~][~]  
  
"There's a train leaving for Timber in half an hour," Squall told Rinoa, staring up at the foriegn letters that flashed across the black overhead screen of the train station. "It's the last one 'til morning, so we have to be sure and catch it."  
  
"What do we do until then?" Rinoa asked.  
  
He shrugged, "Not much we can do. Dollet isn't exactly a tourist city, you know. That's one reason why I like it."  
  
"How long did you live here?" Rinoa asked, sitting down on a vacant bench.  
  
"About a year and a half," he replied. "Until an old friend tracked me down, and I felt it was time to move on. I eventually returned to Deling City, though. That was the last place I ever lived."  
  
"What happened to you?" she asked. "How did you die?"  
  
"You already know," he answered, absent-mindedly, the mental slapped himself as he remembered that it was supposed to be a secret.  
  
"I do? You never told me. You insisted that it was none of my business. Unless..." her voice trailed off in thought. "You were the one I saw, weren't you?" she realized. "You were the one that was murdered..."  
  
"Yeah," he admitted. "I guess it was only a matter of time before you figured it out."  
  
"But who? And why? I remember how it felt... it was so painful. How could hate you so much that they would leave you in agony like that? It was Seifer, wasn't it? He killed you..."  
  
"No, actually he didn't, believe it or not," Squall said. "He was murdered too, by the same person. But in a lot of ways, it was my fault." His voice dropped as he admitted, for the first time, one of his other deepest secrets. "It was because of me that both of us died."  
  
"How?" Rinoa asked, confusion evident on her face. "How could you have been responsible for that?"  
  
Before Squall could answer her, an announcment came over the loud speaker, and Squall stood up. "The train came it in early, so we can go ahead and board. Let's go."  
  
Rinoa stood for a moment, watching him walk toward the train gates. She could remember him saying, what seemed like an eternity ago, that both he and Seifer died by the same hand. Did he mean the real murderer, or was he referring to himself? She dismissed these thoughts with a shake of her head and followed after him, deciding not to think about it for now. Now was not the time.  
  
They took a seat on the train, a heavy silence falling between them, until at last Rinoa asked, "How long until we get to Timber?"  
  
"A few hours," was his response.  
  
Irritated by the ever persistent silence that threatened to swallow them once again, Rinoa decided she would try and make conversation once more. "So, have you been to Timber? Is it nice?"  
  
"Rinoa, just quit. We both know what you're trying to do, and I'm not in the mood for it," he snapped.  
  
"Squall, whatever happened back then... it's in the past now. It's time to let it go. No one's going to hold it against you. At least, I won't. Whatever it is you did... it's over now."  
  
"No, it's not," he corrected. "You see, I know why I, of all people available, was chosen for this assignment. It's my responsiblity, even after all these years... I'm the reason why Seifer's been doing this. The reason why he will continue to do this, until we stop him. I'm responsible for all those people's deaths..."  
  
"No!" Rinoa protested. "No, you're not, and I won't have you thinking that way."  
  
"It's too late..."  
  
"No, it isn't. Squall, I don't understand what's going on here, but there's something you should know, and never forget," she said, twisting around in her seat to face him. She gently laid a hand on his shoulder, and said, "No matter what happens, I'll be here. I'll stand by you, because I trust you. Even if the rest of the world fails you, I'll still be here with you. I won't let you down."  
  
"Why?" was all he could manage to say.  
  
"Because..." she took a deep breath. "Because I care about you, Squall."  
  
"Well, you shouldn't. I'm no good to anyone."  
  
"Yes, you are. I need you... to stay with me, to protect me. I care about you, and I know you care about me, too... don't you?"  
  
"I guess," he replied.  
  
"That's not good enough," she laughed, attempting to lighten the mood a bit.  
  
"Alright, I care about you," he said grudgingly, in a such a way as to betray the very meaning of his own words.  
  
"I know you do," she responded happily, throwing her arms around his shoulders and bringing him as close to her as she could manage while sitting down.  
  
"But what about when this is all over?" he asked.  
  
"We'll figure out what to do once we get there," she answered quietly. "But in the mean time, I just want to stay like this. No more secrets, no more hiding. Just trust. Do you trust me?"  
  
He nodded. "Yes. I trust you more anything else in this world."  
  
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	10. A New Threat

Hiashi: Lemon? Of course! There's a reason why this is rated 'R'. And since the NC-17 ban, I guess R is a sufficient rating for any lemon. But out of curiosity, how 'lemony' do you readers out there want it? Infatuation of the Rose... I'm not currently working on it, since I've been devoting my time to this, and a few other side projects, but it will continue eventually.  
  
Dark Tsuki: A collaboration, huh? Certainly an interesting idea. Right now, I'm co-authoring another Squinoa story (or I will be as soon as I get my shit together and start writing my part). But it's definately something I'll consider. I'll have to see where time leads me.  
  
Attention everyone: Well, I've started up this idea with my friend author Julia Minuit, about interveiwing FF.net's authors, getting their back stories, inspirations, and such. Problem is, we need 2 people, one well known, well established author who's willing to do this, and one up-and- coming author who wants to do this. If you're interested, let me know in review or e-mail, and Julia and I will make a desicion.  
  
Chapter 10  
  
The train ride to Timber seemed endless, even if it was only a few hours. There was nothing for them to do but sit and talk, or at least for Rinoa to talk. For the first time in his history, Squall Leonart actually listened to someone tell about their life, and he found himself hanging on every word. There was more to this dark-haired beauty then most people knew, he realized, and he was quickly becoming fascinated by it. Still, words could only go so far, and eventually silence over took them, and Rinoa fell asleep in her chair. Squall intended to stare out the window, and watch the scenery that flew past, but he once again found his eyes drawn to her, happy that he could just sit and watch her without her ever knowing.  
  
His mind returned to the moment that occured only an hour or so before. The echo of her voice, as she swore her trust in him, was something he would never get tired of hearing. Thoughts of her would always envoke in him an overwhelming feeling, an overpowering emotion that he dared not to name. He had admitted that he cared for her, and trusted her, but he refused to acknowledge the more powerful feelings that he felt deep within him.  
  
As Squall sat and watched the peaceful sleeper, a terrible shriek rose from the tracks beneath them, and the train gave a shudder, before coming to a complete stop.  
  
Rinoa's eyes fluttered open at this, and she asked in a sleepy voice, "Are we there yet?"  
  
"I don't know," he replied. "Something's wrong, apparently."  
  
This woke her up pretty quickly. "We've stopped? But why?"  
  
He shrugged, having no answers for her. They weren't the only people who were confused. The other people seated in the train car were whispering loudly amougst themselves, looking around, and panicking.  
  
"You don't think Seifer's here do you?" Rinoa asked.  
  
"Somehow, I don't think it's him. I have this feeling, though.... it's someone we should definately avoid. Come on," Squall said, standing up. "Let's get out here."  
  
"What?! We can't. What about Timber?"  
  
"Forget Timber," he replied. "We've got to go. Something's not right-"  
  
Squall was interrupted as the door to the car slid open, revealing a tall figure outlined in shadows. He wore a wide-brimmed hat that hid his eyes, and had dark hair spilling over his shoulders. Nothing more could be seen of him through the darkness, no matter how hard Squall squinted at him.  
  
"Leaving so soon?" the man asked of Squall, who still stood in the middle of the aisle. "Things are just getting started here. I've been searching for you for a long time."  
  
"Why?" was all Squall could manage to say, while Rinoa still sat beside him, more confused than ever.  
  
"My little secret," he replied. "Some things are yet to be revealed. If you had just listened to Seifer when you had the chance, none of this would have happened. A little too late, though, don't you think? He's lost what little bit of his mind he had left, and you've been given the same job to do for at least a few centuries, or until you lose your mind, too. Whatever comes first. Maybe I should take care of it for you?"  
  
"Who are you? Why won't you leave me alone?" Squall demanded.  
  
"You'll find out soon enough," was all he would say. "Now, I was thinking... it's been awhile since you've known mortality, right? Maybe I could help you. You don't want all of this, this responsibility. I can take it away from you."  
  
"No deal," Squall replied. "I don't abandon my duties."  
  
"You'll be sorry you made that desicion, Squall," he said, before turning to exit the room. "I will make your immortality your curse. When everything else around you dies, you will be the only thing left standing... all alone," he said over his shoulder. "Mark my words, Leonhart. Seifer's not your biggest problem anymore."  
  
Squall started to follow after him, but Rinoa grabbed onto his arm, pulling him back. "No, Squall. Now's not the time. We need to leave. I think something bad's gonna happen."  
  
Squall sighed, but helped her out of her seat. "Fine, let's go."  
  
The two stepped out the back and jumped down off the train, taking care to distance themselves from the track before they started walking, hoping to make it to Timber before Seifer did.  
  
"Who was that, Squall?" Rinoa asked, shoving her hands in her pocket in an attempt to warm them in the cool night air.  
  
Squall took off his coat and tossed it to her. "I'm not exactly sure. But I guess Seifer was right when he said it was no accident. Someone's been after us both, but now what does he want?"  
  
Rinoa slipped the jacket over her, but asked, "Won't you get cold?" After he shook his head, she continued, saying, "What happened exactly? I still don't understand a lot of this."  
  
"Seifer was the other boy in that accident. He was injured as well, in several ways. Seifer and I had been rivals for years before that, but after the accident, it died down a bit. We were both in the same boat, after all. But after all the hell he put me through, I didn't want anything to do with him. We went our seprate ways shortly after getting out of the hospital and I moved to Dollet when I turned seventeen. He followed me there, though. He was suddenly convinced that the accident was actually deliberate, and that our lives were still in danger. He wanted me to help him, but I refused. I didn't believe it. I just wanted to move on with my life and forget about the past as best as I could. He went from place to place, gathering clues and evidence and such, against someone. He kept trying to get me in on it, to tell me. I didn't listen. Then, both of us were killed by the same person that arranged the accident. Both of us were murdered in Deling, on the same night."  
  
"But why? Why would anyone want to hurt the two of you. You were just kids," Rinoa pointed out.  
  
He shrugged. "Who knows. This is all so messed up..."  
  
Before another word could be spoken, a loud explosion rocked the ground, the sky lighting up with brilliant red flame behind them. Squall closed his eyes and turned away from the sight. He could almost hear the victim's souls screaming now, but it was no longer his problem. He had been temorarily replaced in that department.  
  
"I knew something was going to happen," Rinoa whispered, subconciously standing closer to Squall.  
  
He hesitantly put an arm around her in comfort, and silently willed her to continue walking and not look back. "There's nothing we can do for them. Let's just keep going, okay?"  
  
She nodded, frowning, but asked, "He offered to take all your responsibilities off your shoulders. But you refused. I know you said it was your duty, or whatever, but... is that the only reason?"  
  
"Maybe," he answered cryptically. "Maybe not."  
  
"Well, though I doubt you will, I need you to promise me something," she began, taking a deep breath. "....Don't ever bail out on me. I know you won't, but.... I have to do this, it's up to me. So I need you to stay with me, and help me.... I don't think anyone else can."  
  
He was silent for a long moment, kicking at rocks that sat in his way as he thought of all the times he swore to himself he would never allow anyone to depend on him. But, in a lot of ways, he was already depending on her. "I promise," he answered finally. "I'll stay with you."  
  
She smiled to herself, then said, "Why can't human guys be like you?"  
  
He rolled his eyes. "I'm sure your future husband will be just fine," he said, then suddenly wished he hadn't. He didn't like the idea of her with another man in the least.  
  
"Is there such a thing is marriage once you reach the afterlife?" she asked. "I mean, do you get to be with the one you love?"  
  
"If the one you love is dead also," he replied.  
  
"I see," she answered quietly, her mind churning with thought. It hadn't occured to her until now that she really couldn't see herself with anyone other than the brooding reaper that walked next to her.  
  
Suddenly, Squall came to a stop, staring ahead, and said, "Do you know where we're going?"  
  
"I thought you did," Rinoa pointed out, then realized that the train tracks had forked a while back, and that they had probably gone the wrong way, unconciously. "Shit! Are we lost now?"  
  
  
  
"I see a town ahead," Squall replied, beginning to walk again. "I just don't know what we're in for once we get there.  
  
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The town they arrived out was large, but not very crowded. It rested next to a busy harbor, and half of the town was actually built over the water. There was only one road leading into the town, which went to prove that it was a rarely visited place. The road lead straight into the heart of the town, which was nothing more than a cluster of old shops and apartment houses sitting amoungst dusty concrete and dirt paths. Children chased each other around the building barefoot, while a few adults shopped for food, or spoke with their neighbors. Surrounding the most urban section of the town, were large warehouses and factories that sprawled out over the ground, and eventually had to be supported on steel beams over the ocean. Huge ships glided slowly into the harbor, pulling up close to the factories and unloading crates. Beyond some of the smaller factories, but before most of the larger ones was another small group of houses, resting on a platform over the water with railed ramps leading from the ground level, up to their level, curving perilously over the sea.  
  
The hotel in this town was not hard to find, as it was just a large wooden building with the words 'FH Inn' painted sloppily on a sign over the door. Upon entering, they found a simple set up, with a worn out sofa on one side of the room and a shabby wood counter on the other side. Behind the counter an older man with a dusty baseball cap sat on a stack of crates.  
  
"Can I help you folks?" he asked as they wandered in.  
  
"We need a room," Squall told him.  
  
"Wish I could help," he said. "All the rooms're booked up, I'm 'fraid. There's a fishin' convention in town this week. The inn's all fulled up. Don't s'pose from the looks of ya that you're here for that anyway, huh?"  
  
"Not quite," Squall replied. "Is there another hotel nearby?"  
  
"Nope, 'fraid not. There's a man on the other side o' town that'll rent ya a room. He lives on up in that there other area with the houses. Can't miss it. He owns himself a big brewery," he answered. "Just tell him Mr. Bill sent ya up there."  
  
"Yeah, thanks," Squall answered, walking out the door. He headed up one of the long ramps up to the other residental area, having to hold Rinoa's hand because the height made her nervous. Sure enough, on the edge of the small grouping of houses, there was one house with a big silver tank at the side, and a small warehouse in the back. They knocked on the door and waited for a few minutes for a reply.  
  
Finally, a middle-aged man with graying brown hair, small round glasses, and the beer belly from hell, answered the door smiling. "What can I do for you?"  
  
"Uh, Mr.... uh, the guy from the hotel said you had a room up for rent. We need a place to stay for the night," Squall explained.  
  
"Oh, Mr. Bill at the Inn," the man smiled more. "Sure, I've got a room. Name's Cid, by the way. But, you know, I don't agree on puttin' two young people, such as yourself, in a room together unless you're married. I'm a little old-fashioned."  
  
Squall and sighed and said, "Well, we are married. She's my wife." He put an arm around Rinoa, for affect.  
  
"I don't see a ring," he pointed out.  
  
"We were robbed," Squall said, exasperated.  
  
Cid looked at them suspiciously. "Well, if you say so. Two hundred gil a night, by the way. Come on in, meet my two girls," he said, stepping back and opening the door to let them step in.  
  
Cid lead them to the large kitchen inside where a young woman with a single brown pigtail was smoothing out bred dough with a rolling pin, and a much younger girl with long blonde hair was sweeping the floor while a fire blazed in the nearby fireplace.  
  
"These are my daughters," he announced, gaining the two girls attention. "That's Lillian, she's seventeen. And that one there is Anna, who's only eleven. Girls, say hello to our new guest, Mr. and Mrs...." he paused waiting for them to say there names.  
  
"Squall," Squall replied after a moment of hesitation. "I'm Squall Leonhart, and this is Rinoa Heart- uh, Leonhart."  
  
"It's a pleasure, Mr. Leonhart," Lillian said, wiping her hands on her apron.  
  
"Lily, please show them to their room," Cid said, handing her the key to the guest room.  
  
Lily nodded happily. "Right this way," she said cheerily, walking off with Squall, Rinoa, and her curious younger sister in tow.  
  
Cid laughed, muttering to himself about kids, then sat down in his favorite chair with a bottle of his very own "Kramer Beer" and turned on his old black and white television to watch the evening news.  
  
In the hallway, their cheerful little hostess attempted to converse with the anti-conversational king.  
  
"So, Mr. Leonhart, how old are you?" Lillian asked.  
  
"None of your-" he began, but was cut off by a sharp elbow in his ribcage.  
  
"Be nice," Rinoa hissed under her breath.  
  
"Twenty, I think," Squall replied, trying to remember how old he was when he died. Upon seeing Rinoa's panicked stare, he quickly said, "Yeah, I'm twenty."  
  
Lily laughed, as if he'd made a joke. "That's quite interesting, Mr. Leonhart. Tell me, where are you from?"  
  
"We're both from Deling City," Rinoa answered.  
  
She shot Rinoa an irritated look, as if to say 'I don't care where you're from' then said aloud, "That's fascinating. Well, look, here we are." she opened the door at the end of the hall and handed Squall the keys. "If you need anything, anything at all, please come find me," she said to him, offering her best smile, before leaving them to enter the room.  
  
After the door was shut behind them, Lily said to her sister, "I think I'm in love, Anna."  
  
"With who?" her little sister asked, clearly confused.  
  
"Mr. Leonhart. He's handsome, older, and from the city. Everything I want in a man."  
  
"Didn't you hear Dad? He's married to that nice lady he's with."  
  
"You are so young," she said, rolling her eyes. "It was just a lie. You know how old fashioned father is, he wouldn't let them share the room unless they said they were married. And anyway, I didn't see a ring on either finger. I bet they're just boyfriend and girlfriend, and that can be easily changed. Yes, I can just see it now. We fall in love and runaway to the big city. No more rolling dough and helping father pack beer crates for me!"  
  
"Isn't that the same thing you said about Mr. Almasy when he was staying here a few days ago?" Anna asked.  
  
"Yes, but he was creepy... a little scary for even my tastes," Lily explained.  
  
Back in the room, Rinoa was laughing to herself as she sat down on the spacious double bed.  
  
"What's so funny?" Squall asked as he stared out the window at the nearby ocean.  
  
"That Lillian girl likes you," she said. "She was hitting on you. I guess I'm gonna have to put her in her place before she steals my man," she joked.  
  
Squall rolled his eyes. "I'm not anyone's man."  
  
"Give me one night, and I bet you'll want it otherwise," Rinoa muttered.  
  
"What?!" Squall demanded, evidently having good hearing.  
  
"Nothing," Rinoa answered innocently, trying to ignore the blush that was creeping onto her cheeks. "Nothing that would interest you, anyway."  
  
"More than you may realize," he replied, but in a low voice, that she barely heared.  
  
Before he knew what she was doing, she had crept up behind him, running her hands up the back of his shirt, fingers gliding over the defined contours of his back and shoulders, the touch on his bare skin making him shiver slightly. "Well, you know, we have lots of free time to ourselves," she whispered in his ear, lightly tracing his spine with her finger nail in a way that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.  
  
"I... I don't know," he mumbled, the resistance in his voice weak.  
  
"Please?" she asked quietly as she placed a kiss on his jaw, then kissed down his neck, gently grazing his sensitive skin with her teeth. She ran a hand over his chest at the same time, and could feel the small tremors that had begun to run through his body. She took advantage of the oppurtunity, grabbing him by the sides of his coat and pulling him into a kiss. He wasted no time in deepening their kiss, as he found himself longing for another taste of her. His hands, which were stationed at his side, found their way securely around her hips, pulling her body to his until he could feel each of her curves pressed against him. He reluctantly pulled away from her demanding lips and kissed across her jaw, until he was at her ear. His warm breath against her ear made her shudder slightly, and he took advantage of her sudden loss of strength, picking her up and laying her gently across their bed. Mentally, she celebrated, finally getting what she wanted. That is, until he broke their passionate kiss and stood up.  
  
"Maybe we shouldn't-" he began.  
  
"Squall, shut up," Rinoa said, sitting up and trying to undo his belt, with little success.  
  
Before she could get to what she wanted, there came a knocking at the door, making Rinoa's fists clench. "Someone is about to die!" Rinoa hissed, stomping over to the door.  
  
She opened the door to find Lillian smiling happily on the other side of the door. She took a deep breath, attempting to regain her calm after having been so rudely interrupted before she did something drastic. "Yes, Lillian? Can I help you?"  
  
"It's dinner time," she replied, jerking her thumb down the hall. "Dinner's on the house here, by the way."  
  
"Thanks, we'll be there in a minute," Rinoa said, then waited to shut the door until Lily had left. "So, where were we?" Rinoa asked, turning to her companion and smiling.  
  
Much to Rinoa's surprise, Squall laughed slightly. "We have to go to dinner now." He started toward the door, his eyes locked on her own, dissapointed ones. He smiled, leaned closer to her, and whispered, "Maybe later."  
  
She stood there for a moment, staring after him disapointedly before decided she should join him. There was always the promise of later, after all.  
  
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Everyone was uncomforably quiet at the table, even Lillian, as she was becoming more and more nervous at Rinoa's constant death glares. Still, even that could not keep her curious little mind from trying to make conversation with Squall, who would only speak a few sentences at a time before falling silent again.  
  
"So, Squall, tell me about Deling City," she said. "I've never been there before."  
  
"But, Lily, Mr. Almasy told you about it two days ago," Anna pointed out.  
  
Everyone fell silent, Lily because she thought her sister was stupid, and Squall and Rinoa for the more obvious reason.  
  
"Who?" Rinoa repeated.  
  
"Seifer Almasy," Anna said again. "He stayed here not long ago."  
  
Before another word could be spoken, Cid stood up, and said, "I'm going to go check on tomorrow's shipment before I got to bed."  
  
He went out to the warehouse, leaving everyone else behind, frozen in place.  
  
"This isn't good, not at all," Squall began. "This must mean he's already in Timber. He must be by now. And with this hold-up, who knows how long it'll be before we get there. It might be too late..."  
  
The tense conversation was interrupted as Cid's yell errupted from the storage house, followed by a serious of shots that sent everyone at the table to their feet. Squall headed for the door immeadiately, but Rinoa pulled him back.  
  
"If it is Seifer..." she began.  
  
"I'll be careful," Squall replied heading out the door.  
  
She watched after him for a moment then ran after him, deciding that he might be the one that needed protecting for once.  
  
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A/N: This chapter was a little slow-paced but it's about to pick up big time. I'm also thinking of putting the first lemon in the next chapter. I'm getting tired of those damn interruptions, too. 


	11. Truth Behind the Lies

A/N: WARNING: There is lemon content in this chapter. Total sourness, people. So when they start making 'advances' on each other... well, those of you that don't like lemons shouldn't read it. Also, don't worry about Lily. She's a throw away character, trust me.  
  
  
Optical Goddess: Good questions... He should be phsyically cold, and unfeeling, and originally he was, but there's a reason why he's not any more. This will come into play shortly after this chapter, in fact. I had to come up with some logical reason when I started this fic, because I knew I wouldn't be able to resist putting a lemon in.  
  
  
Kairi: Look in your booklet for the game. LEONHART. Double check your sources next time.  
  
  
Chapter 11  
  
  
As Squall approached the medium-sized, wooden storage house, the air had suddenly fallen silent. Nothing could be heard inside, or near the building where Cid had disappeared to. It seemed almost a sign that he should turn back and forget about what he'd heard, but he wasn't about to wuss out now.  
  
  
Slowly, he reached for the handle of the door and slid it open soundlessly, fading sunlight flooding into the darkened room. One of the first things he noticed upon entrance was an unconscious Cid propped against some beer crates, with an odd, greenish liquid oozing from his shoulder. He allowed his eyes to scan the shadowed room once more, looking for something, anything out of the ordinary. He found nothing. Just as he was about to walk over and pull Cid out, he heard the screen door to the house slam shut as rapid footsteps pounded the ground behind him. On reflex, he turned to look in the direction of the sudden disturbance, and no sooner had he looked away than he felt a sharp stinging in his back, that tore out through his chest.  
  
  
He expected the feeling to fade, as it always would, but instead found himself feeling queasy, and light-headed. He stumbled back into the room, the world beginning to spin around him. This was something he hadn't felt in so long, it was almost overwhelming.   
  
  
At that moment, Rinoa ran inside, concerned overtaking her when she'd heard the other shot fire. She found Squall leaning against a stack of boxes, looking dazed, as the same greenish liquid pumped out of his wound.  
  
  
"What the hell?" Rinoa wondered, lightly touching the wound. "Squall, are you alright?"  
  
  
For a short moment, he managed to make his eyes focus long enough to see what it was she was so concerned about. "Hmm, that's odd," he mumbled, absent-mindedly. "It looks like..." his voice trailed off as he searched the room again, this time finding what he was looking for. The end of a long, silver shot gun barrel poked out from a cluster of machinery at the other end of the room. "Irvine..." he muttered, before loosing his balance and starting to fall. Rinoa attempted to catch him, but his weight proved to be too much for her, and they both fell to their knees on the dirty, hay-strewn floor.  
  
  
"Rinoa!" a voice shouted joyfully from across the shack.  
  
  
Rinoa reluctantly turned her attention away from the sick-looking Squall and searched for the source of the voice. Quistis, Irvine, Shiva, Ifrit, and Zell stood together, looking over-joyed that they had finally brought down the almighty Death Angel and rescued his captive.  
  
  
"What did you do to him?!" she demanded, noticing that he seemed to fade more and more with each passing minute.  
  
  
"Don't worry, it won't hurt him," Irvine said. "It'll just make him a little sick and dazed for awhile. It will also make his abilities inaffective. He might as well be human now. For a day or two anyway. But he'll wake up in an hour or so. So we need to get out of here just in case. Human or not, I don't want to take my chances with him."  
  
  
"Are you people dense?" Rinoa demanded. "I don't want to be saved from him. He's not doing anything wrong, nor has he ever!"  
  
  
"Rinoa, we know he may have manipulated you," Quistis began.  
  
  
"No, he hasn't," Rinoa growled, quickly becoming impatient. "You're a prophetess, can't you see that he's innocent?"  
  
  
"I see only that he's guilty," Quistis replied. "They have deemed it so."  
  
  
"It's true, Rin," Zell explained. "I was with Quistis when they told her."  
  
  
Rinoa turned her attention back to Squall, who's eyes were more than half-closed. The usual angry scowl that was always on his face had dissapeared, and now he looked only fatigued, confused, and helpless. Almost inaudibly she heard him mumble her name, in a way that made it seem that he needed her... he was pleading for her help. She carefully leaned him against the wall, her arms growing too tired to support him, and gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead, before turning to the rest of the group, enraged.  
  
  
"I don't give a fuck who said what, why, or when!" she yelled at them. "He wouldn't lie to me, I know it," she explained, her voice softening drastically. "I trust him... and you should, too. Unless..." her voice trailed off, as her eyes darted from one person to another. "Fujin was right. There is a traitor here... she was just wrong in her accusation..."  
  
  
"Rinoa, that's ridiculous," Quistis pointed out. "Irvine, Shiva, and Ifrit are all professionals. And I'm the one that went to Squall with this mission in the first place. Surely you're not suggesting Zell is a traitor..."  
  
  
"Me?!" Zell exclaimed, panicking. "Hell no!"  
  
  
"No, it's not Zell," Rinoa said, her voice distant, and thoughful. "He doesn't know much about what's going on... it's evident in the way he talks and acts. The traitor would have to be someone who knew what was going on. And it's true, Irvine, Ifrit, and Shiva are professionals...."  
  
  
"But, Rinoa," Quistis attempted to reason. "I was the one gifted with the visions that began this journey in the first place."  
  
  
"Yes, you were 'gifted' with the visions. Or were you? What have you prophesized since then? What wisdom have you shared with us since this all began? You knew things in the beginning that only a prophetess would know... or someone in league with the enemy. And because you called yourself a prophetess, we never questioned... never once suspected that the one that would lead us in the beginning would betray us in the end. You were there when Squall spoke of his past on our train ride to Balamb. You knew of his previous connections with Seifer, and how it would make sense that they would've spoken together at some point in the past, as the memories revealed. But you chose not to enlighten the others, when the question of his loyalty came about," Rinoa stated calmly. She had put every piece of the puzzle together in her head, as she spoke, realizing part by part, the truth behind the lies.  
  
  
"But Rinoa, I was there when the messenger came," Zell argued. "That was no lie."  
  
  
Without another word, Rinoa crossed the room until she reached Quistis, and put a hand to her forehead, praying that the abilities she'd been forced to use before would work for her again, even if she didn't understand them.   
  
  
Just like before, her mind was flooded with images of a lifetime she'd never before seen. But finally, her mind settled on one image in particular, one scene of Quists Trepe's life. It showed her and Zell at the hot dog bar across the street from the hotel, where they were supposed to be while the others went to meet Fujin. Then, a tall, dark-skinned man in a dark outfit approached them. He spoke, mostly to Quistis, before tipping his hat and walking away, leaving Quistis with a small, knowing smile on her face, and Zell with a confused look in his eye. Almost directly after, an image from the train station came to her mind. It was the same man guarding the door that walked up and talked to Quistis. He was helping Seifer.  
  
  
Rinoa stumbled back slightly as the memories ended, feeling light-headed again but managing to keep her composure. The others looked around at each other, gawking. They had all just witnessed the same thing that Rinoa had, and had put two and two together, realizing that it had all been set up. Quistis was working with Seifer, and she had met with one of his other associates that day, making Zell think that he was an 'official' messenger.  
  
  
"Quistis... I never would've expected it from you," Zell said quietly after a moment.  
  
  
"S-so..." Quistis began, attempting to be defensive. "Seifer told me that if I...."  
  
  
"Shut up!" Shiva snapped. "I for one have had enough of your lies. We turned our back on Squall, because of you. All this time we wasted... we could've had this taken care of by now! Rinoa... you were right all along. We should've trusted you and Squall. So, it's up to you. What should we do with the traitor?"  
  
  
Rinoa looked away from them for a moment, focusing on the now unconscious Squall. "I don't care. Do with her as you see fit. I'm going to go in and take care of Squall. I need one of you to help me get him to the room."  
  
  
"I'll do it," Zell offered.  
  
  
Rinoa just gave a slight nod. "Alright. Irvine... you shot Cid, too. Will he be alright?"  
  
  
"Yeah. He'll wake up in a few hours, and he won't remember a thing," Irvine explained. "It won't affect him like it will Squall."  
  
  
"Fine then," Rinoa responded, absently. Her attention was mostly on Squall. "Zell will help me get Squall up to his room, so he can rest. I'll stay with him, take care of him. You guys do what you want with Quistis. And I trust you'll think of something to tell Cid and his daughters, who are inside."  
  
  
"Rinoa, we're sorry. We really are," Irvine said softly.  
  
  
"I'm sure you are," she answered quietly. "And I wish you the best of luck on your journey."  
  
  
"Rinoa-" Shiva began.  
  
  
"Enough," she interrupted calmly, walking over to Squall and attempting to pick him up on her own. "We'll discuss it later. Right now, I have other things to worry about."  
  
  
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The world was nothing but a dark void in which his mind was sinking quickly. From these forgotten depths of his mind he would see things that he hadn't remembered before. He could see himself clearly, standing before a tall, granite head stone, fingers tracing the words that he was simply too young to read. What he hadn't see at the time was the man standing in the shadows, watching him as he tried to piece together the shattered remains of his life that his mind was too small to comprehend yet. Too young and too innocent to calculate his losses, he didn't know that now was a time in which he was supposed to grieve.   
  
In the nearby church, the bell sounded loudly, and a elderly woman with a sympathetic smile approached the confused little boy, explaining to him as best as she could that his last living relative was deceased, and he would now have to come and live with her and the other parent-less children of the town.   
  
  
"When everything else around you dies, you will be the only thing left standing... all alone," he heard once more. "Such was my fate, now I will make it yours, through her."  
  
  
The image that played in front of his eyes began to blur and flicker, another image taking its place. Part of his mind seemed to snap back to reality, sensing his body once again, and feeling a dull ache in the empty place where a mortal's heart would beat. He saw himself, the same age as he was now, stumbling through a darkened room to answer the persistent knocking at his apartment door. Once the door was open, he stood, waiting for his unidentified visitor to speak. But no words ever came, only an ear-splitting explosion of a gun going off. He felt himself suffocated, his long since forgotten lungs suddenly craving oxygen again. A tremor rocked his body, seeming to originate from the left side of his chest. The pain there only increased, until he would've sworn someone had plunged a knife into his chest and was twisting it just so that they could laugh at his pain.  
  
  
Just when he thought that this inexplainable pain would be the end of him, his eyes snapped open, looking around the small, dimly lit room for a possible attacker. Squall didn't see anything. He was alone, lying in the bed of a strange room. He looked down, studying himself, and noticed a bandage over his chest, in the same place where it had been hurting so much only moments before.  
  
  
(Well, that explains that, at least) he thought, pulling off the bandage and examining the open wound. He suddenly remembered all that had happened earlier, how he had been shot by one of Irvine's not so ordinary bullets, and how they'd wanted to take Rinoa away.  
  
  
This last thought nearly sent him into panick, and he threw back the sheets that covered his body and started to jump out of bed. He was stopped however, when Rinoa came through the door to the room, almost jumping ten feet off the floor at seeing him awake.  
  
  
"Squall..." she breathed, placing a hand over her widly thumping heart. "I didn't expect you to be up and moving." She caught her breath and looked him over for a moment, almost as if to see if he'd somehow been wounded again, then nearly threw herself into his arms. "I was so worried!" she exclaimed. "Irvine said you'd wake up in an hour or so, but it's been more like five hours..."  
  
  
"Sorry," he replied, uncertain of how to respond to her concern. "Are they still here? Do they still want to take you?"  
  
  
She shook her head. "I proved your innocence. Quistis was the guilty one all along. They've been interrogating her for information, while I've been up here looking after you," she explained. "Geez, you had me worried sick..."  
  
  
"Well, you shouldn't worry about me," he replied.  
  
  
"Maybe I shouldn't but I do," she answered, running her fingertips along the side of his face. "And with good reason."  
  
  
"What's that?" he asked, his curiosity peaked.  
  
  
She shook her head again, pushing him back so that he was laying in the bed again. "Enough talk for right now. You need to rest."  
  
  
"But you just said yourself I was out for five hours," he argued.  
  
  
"That's.... beside the point," she said, scrambling for a good excuse. "It must've taken a lot out of you."  
  
  
"Not really... I actually feel better than I have in a long time. I think you just don't want to tell me."  
  
  
She smiled sadly, "Really, I'm more afraid that you won't want to hear it. The last thing I want to do right now is upset you... and I know it will..."  
  
  
"Tell me anyway," he pressed, part of him almost needing to hear it, the other part dreading it.  
  
  
She put a finger to his lips, as if to silence him, and studied his stormy blue eyes for a moment, before saying, "I was just so terrified.... Irvine said you would wake up within an hour or two, and you'd be just fine. He said all I had to do was fix up your wound... but then you didn't show any signs of waking up, I guess I started freaking out. It made me realize some things...."  
  
  
Squall was silent for a long time, then finally said, "You know it can never last. I'm not like you..."  
  
  
She nodded, her eyes dropping from his. "I know but... I need this. And I think you do, too. You can't deny that there's something between us, Squall. Maybe we should just enjoy the time we have together."  
  
  
Squall inhaled deeply, allowing his eyes to flutter closed once more. He knew she was waiting for him to answer, but he didn't want to say what was really on his mind. He didn't want to admit his fears. Finally he said, "So what if you grow attached to me?"  
  
  
She let loose a bitter laugh, brining her eyes to meet his again. "Yes, what if I get attached to you? After all, you must have so many women that have formed an emotional attachment to you, that you've just forgotten by now. Nothing but pesky admirers... I guess I'll just have to deal with it, though, since I'm already quite fond of you, though I can't figure out for the life of me why," she snapped, rising from her place next to him and starting to walk out of the room.  
  
  
Before she could make it out the door, a strong hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her back, so that her face was inches from his. She tried pulling away from him, but found the attempt futile. He wasn't going to let go of her that easily. "Damnit, Rinoa stop!" he ordered sternly. She stopped struggling and looked up at him, pain registering on her formely pride-ridden face. "Do you have to take everything so literally? You know that I'm not good with words... That's not how I meant it."  
  
  
"So what?" she muttered. "What did you mean, and why should I care?"  
  
  
He let out a disgusted sigh, and said, "I meant that the more we indulge these feelings we have, the harder it's gonna be when we have to say goodbye. Whether you care or not is up to you."  
  
  
"I don't care!" she exclaimed. "I don't care about what's going to happen then! You might think that it's set in stone somewhere that we can't be together, but I don't believe it. Nothing is ever for certain in the future... and even still, I care about now. Now, I can be with you. I.... I lo-"  
  
  
Squall tensed at her words and silenced her quickly with a rough kiss. "Don't say it, Rinoa, please," he whispered, a pained look coming over him. "I can't take it..."  
  
  
She nodded slowly, biting back her words as well as her tears and leaning forward to meet him in another kiss. "If I can't tell you, I wanna show you," she said.  
  
  
Her words caused a small tremor to run up his spine, which only seemed to get worse when she kissed him again, this time more demanding than the last. Everything in his mind that was logical told him this wasn't right, yet he couldn't do anything but give in to her, pushing his tongue past her partially open lips and exploring her mouth, just as he'd done before. Somehow he never seemed to tire of it.  
  
  
She broke away from his passionate kiss and moved to his ear, nibbling on it for a moment before saying, "Come on Squall, show me how you feel...."  
  
  
He swallowed hard, for the first time in a long time feeling nervous. He knew what she was asking, but wasn't sure that he could comply with her wishes, as much as he wanted to. This was all new, unexplored territory to him, and he wasn't sure how to handle it. "I'm.... not sure that I can," he whispered back.  
  
  
She seemed to ignore his words, shoving him down on the bed and moving over him, briefly meeting his lips again before moving downward to his neck. He closed his eyes for a moment, wondering why he had the bad luck to meet this wonderful woman now, instead of when he was still alive. It would've been so much less complicated then.   
  
  
Rinoa stopped her advances and moved her hand up to stroke the side of his face, making him open his eyes. She stared down into the cloudy ethereal pools intently, as if trying to read his mind. Finally she said, "Don't worry about it."  
  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
  
"I know what you're thinking. You're worried about the consequences. Well, don't worry. For once in your life, just let go. Can you do that much for me?"  
  
"You know me too well, to have only known me for a few weeks," he replied.  
  
  
"We've been through a lot," she answered seriously. "That can change things. You and I... we're somehow bound together, whether or not you believe it, I do."  
  
  
He sighed and ran a hand through her hair, her head now rested comfortably on his bare chest. "I honestly don't know what to believe anymore."  
  
  
She lifted her head and positioned herself to face him again, leaning down and starting to kiss him once more. "You can believe in me," she answered between kisses. "Just let go of everything else."  
  
  
He sat up suddenly, pulling her into his lap and holding her tightly against him. "And if I do? What happens then?"  
  
  
She merely shrugged. "It's not gonna be the end of the world or anything, I promise."  
  
  
He kissed her gently on her lips, in a way that made her yearn for more. She wrapped her arms around him, his nearly over-heated flesh burning against her palms as she rubbed them across his back. Before she could comment on his unusual body temperature he shifted his hold on her, putting one hand on her hips and pulling her up and closer to him, using the other hand against the back of her head to steady her against his increasingly demanding kisses. His lips were crushing hers, but his touch upon her skin was still so gentle, his free hand sliding down from her hip and over her long, perfectly formed legs that were bared by her skirt. His lips left hers, her own now red and slightly swollen, and began placing small kisses down the sensitive skin of her neck. She never realized how thrilling this simple touch could be until now. Now, she was in the arms of a man she never would've thought she'd want, but simply couldn't resist. Something about his dark, mysterious air sent jolts of pleasurable electricity through every cell of her body. As a contended sigh escaped her lips, he wrapped an arm around her waist and rolled over, so that her back was resting comfortably on the bed while he positioned himself over her. His typically timid hands were suddenly moving of their own accord, moving from the place on her hips and gliding upward, pushing her shirt up along with them. She couldn't help the small giggle that escaped her throat as his hands struck on her ticklish abdomen.  
  
  
"What's so funny?" he asked, a very serious look in his eyes.  
  
The smile on her face quickly faded and she sat up, pushing him over onto his back and sitting atop him, propping herself up with her elbows on his chest. "Have you done this before?" she asked.  
  
  
He shook his head, looking slightly embarresed. "No. You're the first woman I've been close to. No one wanted anything to do with me before."  
  
  
She offered him a small smile before beginning to leave a trail of small kisses down his chest. He tensed with each touch, her ultimate destination weighing heavily in his mind. His eyes closed briefly, still trying to fight back his fear of commitment before it stopped him from getting what he so desperately wanted. Before another thought could enter his mind, he felt her tugging his belts off, tossing them halfway across the room as soon as they were loose. She reached down to unbutton his pants, but he stopped her, grabbing her shirt by the bottom and pulling it off over her head. Heat spread over her cheeks as she suddenly found her upper body exposed, with only her lacy black bra covering her. She leaned down over him, her lips locking with his once again while his hands moved upward, carresing her outer thighs beneath the rough material of her denim skirt. A soft moan escaped her throat, and she pressed herself further into him, the bulge in his pants pushing against her abdomen. Rinoa sat up again, her face flushed but happy, and reached behind her back to undo the clasp of her bra. The soft lace slipped down her shoulders and was finally tossed away, joining his belts in some distant and forgotten corner of the room. Squall took tight hold of her hands, leaning up and devouring her neck before allowing his pleasurable assualt to travel lower, to her newly revealed flesh. The softness of his lips on her sensitive skin sent her mind reeling, and a quiet cry graced the air as his tongue strayed over her hardened nipples.   
  
  
Rinoa inhaled deeply as she felt his hands come to rest atop her legs, his thumbs carresing her inner thighs and making her tremble from the touch. He turned her around and threw her not to gently on the bed, his long forgotten animal instincts surging within him. He kissed her with a kind of carnal desire that made her weak inside while he pulled her skirt down and allowed it to drop carelessly to the floor. This sudden display of testosterone-driven dominence not only shocked, but pleased her. To think, this shy man she'd come to know had a bad boy side to him. As much as she didn't want to admit it, it was driving her crazy.  
  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by a toe-curling sensation, as his hands moved over her most sensitive area. Realizing that she was having most of the fun, she sat up suddenly and undid his pants, pushing them down to reveal his black boxers.   
  
  
"Are all the clothes you own black?" she questioned, looking up at him with a glint of humor in her passion-filled eyes.  
  
  
"Pretty much," he answered shortly before grabbing her by the hands again and pulling her up to stand, against him. Her heart pounded in her chest as he removed the last of her clothing. She drew her hands down his chest, scrapping her nails against his skin until she reached his boxers, which she removed with shaking hands. He lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, kissing him hard. He layed her back down, lowering himself over her. Luckily his need for her outweighed his nervouness, so that it was perfectly concealed on his face, and in his actions.  
  
"Be careful," she whispered against his lips, her fingers gently carresing his back. A far off part of her mind noticed that the scars from his wings were now completely gone, no longer marring the black ink lion that suited her soon-to-be lover so well.  
  
  
He gave a slight nod, and entered her slowly. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, the only person he'd ever really cared about. He pressed forward a little at a time, making the both of them a bit restless. Still, he was thoroughly enjoying the feeling of her around him.  
  
  
"Maybe if you go ahead and do it, it won't hurt so bad," she pointed out, hoping that she didn't sound too impatient.  
  
  
Without answering, he thrust into her faster, tearing through her virginity and squeezing his eyes shut in anticipation of the pain she would feel. He heard her give a slight groan of discomfort, then lay still for a moment, trying to catch her breath. To her surprise, it hadn't hurt nearly as bad as she had expected. Rinoa brushed the thoughts aside and nudged Squall with her hips, aching for him to continue. He didn't need anymore encouragement. He began moving within her again, his eyes closing in pleasure this time. The small moans and sighs that left Rinoa's lips only seemed to heighten everything he was feeling. The world around him was a blur, and the only thing that mattered was the beautiful woman beneath him. Unconciously he began moving harder and faster, the incredible sensations seeming to pile up within him. Rinoa stabbed the nails of one hand into his back, the other hand clutching tightly at the sheets around her in a futile attempt to control her trembling body. It had gotten so hard to breath, as if the air around her were so thick that it was choking. Her muscles burned as he seemed to control her with the forcefulness of his body, moving her to a pattern as old as time.  
  
  
Suddenly, she stiffened, every muscle in her body tensing until she thought they would pop. Even the muscles within her were spasming, frantically gripping at Squall and releasing him. Pleasure exploded with her, until she almost didn't think she could take it. She bit back a loud scream, but couldn't help the powerful moan that tore through her throat afterwards, feeling her lover release within her. Finally her muscles relaxed, and she layed back on the bed, panting for air. She moved her fingers around stifly, as they were now sore from gripping the sheets so hard, and smiled over at her companion, who had collapsed next to her in a momentary loss of strength.  
  
  
"Wow..." he murmered, hooking an arm around Rinoa and pulling her over to rest against him.  
  
  
"You said it," she replied, snuggling into his chest. As she began to drift into the welcoming void of sleep, she noticed the rythmic pounding against her ear that had never been there before. Squall had acquired a heartbeat....   
  
  
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A/N: Okay, so probably not the best lemon ever written (far from it) but cut me some slack, as I'm not an extremely experienced lemon writer. And sorry, Quistis fans, but I really don't like Quistis that much. 


	12. Woman in the Road

A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. Sorry for the delay, I needed to refuel my creativity.  
  
Chapter 12  
  
The room was dimly lit, the walls bathed in burgundy with the flickering of a few candles making shadows dance across the room. A woman lay in her bed, gasping for breath as her swollen belly heaved. Across the room, two men spoke, one a short, balding man sporting a pair of crude spectacles, and the other a man with long, dark hair, half-concealed within the shadows.  
  
"She'll be all right, won't she?" he was asking, his voice filled with panic. "This'll go just like last time, right?"  
  
The other man sighed, rubbing his small gray beard. "I don't know, honestly. She's not dilating.... if she continues this way, we'll have to cut her open to take the child out."  
  
"What? Cut her open? Have you done this before?"  
  
"Yes, a few times," the man replied reluctantly. "I'm afraid, it never goes well, for the mother or the child. But it is a risk we must take."  
  
The dark-haired man shook his head. "I won't let you do it, not if it's going to endanger my wife."  
  
"It has to be done, sir!" the other protested. "Think of your child's life."  
  
"It's not worth her life," he said defiantly.  
  
The old man sighed again and returned to his patient, who was screaming in agony at the pain. There was no other way, he knew, but he would never be able to do anything with her husband in the room. He turned to him suddenly and said, "Go get some hot water ready. It'll be soon."  
  
He hesitated, shooting the doctor a suspicious look, before hurrying off to fetch the water. The doctor worked quickly, then, picking up his instruments and making the incision. He plunged his hands into the wound, his skin and the sleeves of his shirt quickly becoming stained with crimson. He pulled out a healthy child, and looked around for a place to set him. The midwife that was to help him had been unable to be there because of the raging storm outside. He sat the baby, still covered in fluids and screaming his lungs out into the makeshift bed the parents had made, before digging into the incision again. To his surprise, there was another child in there, this one smaller, and quiet as he came into the world. He laid it aside as well, though he was concerned over it's silence, and quickly tried to stitch the mother back up. It was at this moment that the babies' father came back in, a pot of still boiling water in his hands.  
  
"What did you do?!" he demanded.  
  
"Never mind that now! Get some towels."  
  
A few moments later, and the chaos had died down. The doctor cleaned off the two children with the water and towels, then lifted the smaller one up. He still wasn't crying, or making a single sound. The doctor thought for a moment, then smacked his foot, causing the little thing to throw a fit. The doctor smiled.  
  
"You got two healthy boys here," he announced to the father, who sat with his resting wife.  
  
"Yeah, okay," he muttered, staring at his wife, who looked sickly. The doctor knew she had lost a lot of blood, but didn't have the heart to tell him.  
  
"Well, Mrs. Loire, what are you going to name them?" he asked, placing her two little boys in her arms.  
  
Despite her weakness, and the inner intuition that told her she was taking her last breaths, she smiled joyously at them, listening to the storm outside. Her attention turned to the smaller one, who seemed so tiny, and delicate with all his silence. "I'll name this one..."  
  
The words faded out before she could hear the woman finish her sentence. Her eyes fluttered open, and very suddenly, she was back in reality.  
  
Sunlight streamed into the room, and had burned through the protective shield over her eyes, forcing her awake. With a small groan of irritation, she rolled over and buried her head into the warm body beneath her, her mind drifting off again until a startling realization brought her back to reality. Placing a hand over the left side of his chest, she felt the steady thumping of a normal human heart, and watched as his chest rose and fell with each exchange of breath. These were both things that had not occurred within him before. But it was just Irvine's bullet, right? She reminded herself to ask him later, and tried to calm her worried mind into sleep again.  
  
Just as she was getting comfortable, Squall stirred beneath her, his stormy blue eyes showing themselves in narrow slits.. He gave a contented sigh, slowly stroking his lover's back until she lifted her head to look at him.  
  
"Good morning," she murmured sleepily.  
  
"Good morning, beautiful," he replied, taking a deep breath as he stretched his muscles, then pausing as he realized what he was doing. "I'm.... I'm....." he found himself at a loss of words as he stared into the deep brown eyes of the woman next to him, searching desperately for answers. It had been so long since he'd taken his last breath.  
  
"Don't worry about it now," Rinoa said, her voice a near whisper.  
  
Squall only nodded, and rubbed his eyes. "I need a shower.... I haven't had one in almost a hundred years...."  
  
She giggled, hoping to lighten the mood. "Then it's definitely about time you took one. I'm going to go ahead and go downstairs."  
  
He nodded once more and stood from the bed, gathering up his clothes from the various places around the room. Rinoa just watched him with a little smile on her face, for a mere second forgetting the worry inside her and enjoying the moment. Once he was in the shower, she threw her clothes on and hurried downstairs.  
  
What she found downstairs was a bit of a surprise to her. Lily, Anna, and all the others were sitting at the table calmly eating breakfast, with the exception of Quistis.  
  
"This is awesome!" Zell was saying, a cluster of empty beer bottles sitting next to him on the table. "I can drink all I want and not get drunk!"  
  
Irvine was the first to spot Rinoa, and let a large, perverted smile come over his face. "So, I take it Squall was better after he woke up."  
  
Rinoa ignored the rude comment, what with all the other questions in her mind at the moment. "He has a heartbeat... he's breathing. Was that supposed to happen?"  
  
Irvine's eyes widened, his fork slipping from his grip. "He what? I... that wasn't supposed to happen. He was just supposed to lose his powers for awhile, not become completely human!"  
  
"What's wrong with him, then?" Rinoa demanded.  
  
Silence filled the room, no one having any answers for her. Rinoa looked from one person to another, shaking slightly with fear. What happened? Would Squall be okay? No one dared to breathe a word in that moment, not even in comfort to her.  
  
Finally, Rinoa lowered her head for a moment, then asked, "Where's Quistis?"  
  
Zell pointed into the living room, where Quistis was duct taped to a chair. "She's been there since yesterday. We tried interrogating her, but we couldn't get anything out of her. Just that Seifer's in Timber. We already figured that much. I suppose Squall will want to leave as soon as possible?"  
  
"Yeah, most likely," Rinoa answered, seating herself at the table. She looked at Lillian, who sat across from her, then looked to Shiva, shooting a quick glance back at the girl in an obvious question.  
  
"We told them we were undercover cops," Shiva answered, leaning forward to whisper in Rinoa's ear. "And that we were searching for Quistis, and caught her hiding in the barn."  
  
At that moment, Squall came down the stairs, hair slightly dampened from his shower. "Well... now what?" was all he said, looking from one person to the next, until his eyes finally came to rest on Rinoa, making the corners of his mouth tug upward, just slightly.  
  
"Seifer's in Timber," Zell answered. "We should go after him... I mean, we want to help you go after him... If you'll let us."  
  
"Yeah, we're real sorry, Squall. We didn't know... we just got confused," Ifrit apologized.  
  
Squall nodded. "It's fine. Let's just continue on with our journey. We leave from here in..." he paused to check his watch, "fifteen minutes. Hopefully we can get a train."  
  
"The trains don't run here anymore," Lily said, speaking up for the first time. "The only way to Timber is by ship... or by car. You can rent one near the hotel. Unless you'd rather walk, of course."  
  
"Rent-a-car, huh?" Squall repeated. "Fine. Let's go."  
  
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An hour later, Squall was ready to kill pretty much anybody in that vehicle that wasn't already dead. With the exception of his dear Rinoa, of course. They had all crammed into a van, Quistis included (although she was still duct-taped). Irvine, Zell, and Shiva had sat in the very back, with Shiva miserably seated between the two as they sang '100 bottles of beer on the wall' and drank the case of beer they'd stolen from Cid's house. Ifrit was watching over Quistis in the middle seat, practicing his best pick-up lines on the helpless woman, and Rinoa sat in the front with Squall, trying to calm his increasingly agitated nerves.  
  
"Tell me again why I haven't killed them?" Squall asked of Rinoa.  
  
She just sighed. "We're almost there. Just hang on a little longer."  
  
Squall briefly allowed his eyes to close, fatigue making it's presence known as it set in behind his eyes. He was suddenly called back from his reverie, however, when he heard Rinoa yell for him to stop.  
  
He threw on the brakes immediately, causing the van to lurch forward, before setting his eyes on the road once more. The stood what appeared to be a little old lady, hunched over and withered as she clutched her ragged clothes around her. She stood still in the middle of the road, her back still turned to the vehicle. Squall slowly got out, and approached her cautiously, as if there were something dangerous about her. Rinoa, her usually mischief-filled gaze now utterly serious, started to get out as well.  
  
"You guys stay here," she said over her shoulder as she got out and joined Squall with the woman.  
  
"Excuse me, miss," Squall began slowly, "do you know you're standing in the middle of the road?"  
  
She looked up at him then, revealing for the first time her face. To his surprise, she was not old at all, only a few years older than him, at the most. Her skin was pale, as though no blood ran within her veins, and the light had long since died in her dull blue eyes. Even more peculiar than this, was the state of her clothing. They were of an old style, not worn for many years, and were tattered, emanating a vague scent of mold and decay.  
  
"You look so familiar... I wish I could place you. Do you live in Deling City as well?" she asked.  
  
"Miss, we're a very long way from Deling City. We're near the town of Timber now," Rinoa replied.  
  
"Oh? I was born in Timber. I met my husband there as well, when I was a girl. But I live now, in Deling City. I do wonder how I got so far from home without my knowing."  
  
"Are you traveling?" Squall asked.  
  
"No, I don't believe so..." her voice trailed away. "You look so awfully familiar. But, I must get home somehow. I must tend to my babies. Can you give me directions, I wonder?"  
  
"Down that road is Fisherman's Horizon," Squall answered, pointing back the way they came.  
  
She shot him a suspicious look. "I've never heard of such a place. Not near Timber. Are you telling me the truth? I must get to me children. They are young, just a few days old. My husband knows nothing of child care. Just ask my oldest daughter."  
  
"Ma'am, if you don't mind my asking, could you tell me what the last thing you remember is?" Rinoa asked, a strange feeling creeping slowly up her spine as she eyed the stranger.  
  
"The last thing I remember? I named one of my sons, just after he was born. Then, I felt so sleepy... I must've fallen asleep before I could name the other. It was a deep sleep, and for the longest time, I could see, and feel nothing but darkness. I searched through this darkness for my family, but I could not find them. I found many people, but not them. It must've been a nightmare I'd had during the night, though it seemed like an eternity. I felt something then, that woke me from my slumber. I could feel the presence of my newborn child... the small, quiet one I loved so dearly. I could not see him, but I knew he was somewhere nearby, so I had to wake up and go after him. Things look so strange now... such as that thing you're riding in. A car, is it? You must be rich to have one of those. It is rather strange looking as well..."  
  
Squall raised an eyebrow at her strange ravings. "Are you sure you're all right, Miss?"  
  
"Now I know. You remind me of my newborn son, my smallest one, that is. Though I don't know why. I can't say you look alike, for you are so much older than he. Well, no matter. I must go."  
  
As she began walking away, Rinoa tugged on Squall's arm, pulling him from his deep trance. "Squall, there's something strange about her... call me crazy, but I don't think she's living."  
  
"Well, neither am I," he replied. "I can sense something odd about her, but not that she's dead. And I'm sure I would know."  
  
"I don't know...." she began. "You haven't quite been yourself lately, either."  
  
He looked over at her, a smile threatening to break loose. "I think that's your fault."  
  
"Come, on Mr. Leonhart," she said teasingly as she dragged him back toward the van.  
  
They continued they're journey from there, passing the strange woman a short distance down the road. A she watched the vehicle roar past her, she couldn't help but feel as though piece of her was going with it. She saw his face in her mind again, and felt her soul begin to grieve, as she could no longer cry.  
  
"My baby...." she whispered, watching the van until it was no more than a speck upon the horizon.  
  
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After nearly two hours of driving, the van pulled into the small town of Timber, and everyone piled through the doors as fast as they possibly could. They removed the duct tape from around Quistis' limbs, but Shiva and Ifrit stayed close by her side, ensuring that she didn't escape.  
  
"Well, is he here?" Rinoa asked her.  
  
"How should I know? I'm not really a fucking prophetess, remember!" she snapped in reply, her voice crude, and dripping with utter disgust. Now that her cover had been blown, she didn't feel the need to keep up her act of the wise, sophisticated seer.  
  
"Then you can lead us to him.... he'll come to you, right?" Zell questioned.  
  
"With you idiots around, no!" she answered rudely. Her eyes wandered away from her captors for a moment, focusing instead on a pair of suspicious looking people across the street. Though she said nothing, she noticably tensed.  
  
Silently, Squall traced the path of her eyes, until he too, was looking at them. "You recognize them?"  
  
She nodded, only slightly, having forgotten for the moment who she was with, thinking only of how desperately she had to find Seifer.  
  
"Who are they?" Shiva asked.  
  
"N-nevermind that," she stammered. "Just know this much. I have to get to Seifer and warn him, both for your safety and his."  
  
"Why would you be worried about..." Rinoa began, but went silent as her mind traced back to a memory that didn't make any sense now. "When you and Squall came to get me, and those people came after us... You told us to hide, you didn't want us caught. But if you're working with Seifer, why would you try to.... they weren't Seifer's men, were they?"  
  
"No, they weren't," she admitted. "My job was to ensure that you were delivered to Seifer first, as there was another that was after you."  
  
"Who?!" Rinoa demanded.  
  
"No time for that now. We have to find Seifer, before they notice us. Their power is much greater than anything you may have seen prior to this," she dropped her demure facade once more, as she turned to her enemies and smiled slightly. "You'll have an easier time kicking Seifer's ass than you will their's."  
  
Squall nodded his understanding. "Fine. Let's just get going."  
  
Quistis led the group away from their current position, to where an abandoned old pub, where she suspected Seifer might be hiding. When they arrived there, however, they found no one. In the room, there was only a burnt out candle, a rifle and shells laying on the table, and alongside it, a picture of a dark-haired young woman. Squall examined everything for a moment, especially the picture.  
  
"Rinoa..." he called her over in a quiet voice and handed her the tattered, half-ruined black and white photo of the woman.  
  
She stared at it for a long moment, the primitive technology of the camera used making it hard to see clearly. "It's the woman we saw on the road today," she said after a moment. "How...?"  
  
"Hey, look at this," Zell, announced, pointing to a large stain on the wall and floor that was barely visible in the dimly lit room. Zell took out his lighter, which had been in his pants pocket since the day of his death, and held it close to the stain. It was a dull red color, and gave off a sickening scent. "Dried blood," he said. "Something really bad happened here."  
  
"Someone was shot," Squall pointed out. "But who, and why? Who did it? What did he have to do with this woman?"  
  
"Enough of that," Quistis snapped. "From the looks of it, it's all ancient history. We have to find Seifer, remember?"  
  
Suddenly, darkness fell over the room as a large, darkened figure moved into the doorway, shutting out the light of the sun. "You were looking for me?"  
  
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A/N: Well, the shit's all about to hit the fan people. Piece's are about to fall into place, discoveries are soon to be made. Which means we're nearing the end of our little journey. But I'm not letting you go just yet.... 


	13. Finding Your Way Home

A/N: Well, here's the next chapter, finally. Sorry it took so long, but I just couldn't get it together. Well, read on.  
  
Executioner Chapter 13  
  
Quistis turned toward the source of the voice, a wide smile twisting her face as she realized she would finally get to see Seifer. What she did see, however, was not at all pleasing. Seifer was not alone, nor was he there of his own will. A pair of strong hands was shoving him roughly into the room, and a darkened figure stepped in behind him, but stayed where he would block out the sun. He gave Seifer one last powerful shove, and sent him stumbling wearily to the ground.  
  
Quistis gasped slightly and rushed to his aid, studying his battered face in the dark. "What happened?" she asked.  
  
"Enough talking," came the strong, dark voice of the stranger. "It's time for us to get down to business."  
  
"It's you." Rinoa began slowly. "From the train."  
  
Had they been able to see his face, they would have seen the cruel, sickening grin that came over it. "Yes, I'm the one from the train. You're a quick one, aren't you Heartily? Such a shame. such a waste of life," he murmured. "Your only purpose is to carry the gift, and nothing more. Now the gift will be mine, and there will be no use for you."  
  
Squall stepped forward, shielding Rinoa with his own body. "If you even think of touching her, I'll-"  
  
"You'll what?" the man interrupted. "What could you possibly do to me? I can't die, I'm already dead. You're powerless against me, just like he was," he pointed to Seifer, who was still on his knees upon the floor. "All the things you took from me. Now's my chance to get it back."  
  
"I don't even know you," Squall growled.  
  
He shook his head, stepping away from the door and coming closer to the stern-faced young man that stood in utter defiance before him. "You never knew me. you never had the chance. You never will. You will suffer them same fate as I did. You will live, while everything you care about dies."  
  
Suddenly, a loud crack sounded through the air, and their enemy gave a slight grunt of pain, clutching his side. Irvine slung his gun over his shoulder, barrel smoking, and said, "Let's go, now!"  
  
The only way to go was up the stairs, to the second level of the pub. They all climbed up the stairs, Quistis helping Seifer along, and piled into the room at the top, which appeared to be an old bedroom. Dusty, faded sheets covered a wooden framed bed, and the wilted remains of flowers sagged pitifully in a dirt-encrusted vase.  
  
From the pub beneath, a chilling laughter rose, and that voice that they'd all come to dread called after them, "Hide now, and enjoy your finally days. I'll be back."  
  
For several moments, there was nothing but silence, until finally Rinoa spoke up. "He's gone. I sense it."  
  
"We need to get out of here as soon as possible," Shiva spoke up.  
  
Before anyone could answer, Rinoa swayed slightly, a small groan of weariness escaping her before her eyes fluttered closed, and she began to fall.  
  
He sat at the table alone, staring into the tiny flame before him as if it were his only salvation. This room had once been so familiar to him, but now he didn't recognize it at all. It was so empty, and desolate, with everything gone but that one table and chair and the small fire before him bathing the nearby wall in golden light, while casting shadows around the rest of the room, which shifted and lurked menacingly. The place was merely a ghost of it's former self, the silence that enveloped it telling of precious memories passed, known only to his mind now. This was the place where she'd lived during her childhood, the place where he had met her. And now the room was mocking him, with it's own, soundless voice.  
  
A quiet knock sounded on the old, wooden entrance door. He stood slowly, pulling the door open to greet his guest for the evening. He smiled at the baldheaded man that stared up at him through glass lenses. His guest didn't see it, but the smile wasn't in the least friendly.  
  
"Nice to see you could make it, doctor," he said, his voice feigning politeness.  
  
"I must say, I'm surprised you wanted to meet with me while I was here in Timber. You were so angry, when." his voice trailed off, ending on a note of sympathy.  
  
He shook his head, his long dark hair rippling over his shoulders. "I was, but I wanted to apologize. And, what better place than her old home. Her parents used to run a pub down here," he explained. "It's where I first met her. Love at first sight."  
  
The doctor looked at him with saddened eyes. "I'm terribly sorry. I wish I could say something more."  
  
He shook his head again. "Don't be." He took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth, "It wasn't your fault."  
  
The doctor nodded, in his mind debating over the next question on his tongue, then finally decided he seemed stable enough. "Where are your boys, Laguna?"  
  
He studied the doctor with an intense gaze, his restrain beginning to snap beneath the weight of his words. "Sit down, Doctor," he offered, gesturing to the chair he occupied earlier. He smiled slightly as the doctor took his suggestion, and looked away for a moment, watching the shadows dance across the room. Laguna took the opportunity that he had been waiting for. He reached beneath the table and pulled out his shotgun. At the sound of him cocking it, the good doctor quickly looked up to his host. "When I said it wasn't your fault. I was only half right."  
  
"Laguna, calm down now, you know it's not worth it," the older man pleaded.  
  
"I was only half right. It was partly your fault. But it was also theirs."  
  
"What are talking about?"  
  
"Enough questions. It's time you paid for what you've done," with those last words, he tightened his hold on the trigger, and watched as his impeccable aim ensured his revenge.  
After the deed was done, Laguna sat in silence once more, ignoring the corpse that was now sprawled out over the ground, leaking blood over the bare concrete floor. He stared at the picture in his hand, tears threatening to escape from his eyes. The love of his life was gone forever. and full justice had yet to be served.  
  
As Rinoa slowly came back to the world, the first thing she heard was, "Gee, Leonhart, I didn't think you ever had it in you to hook up with a woman."  
  
"Shut up, Seifer," a nearby voice replied. She knew at once it was the voice of her Angel in shining. well in a black trench coat. She could feel the vibration of his voice. She smiled, feeling herself in his arms and snuggled closer to him, opening her eyes slowly.  
  
"It happened again?" Squall asked her gently.  
  
She nodded. "I saw him kill that man," she explained. "Downstairs, in the pub. I heard his name. When he was living, he was called Laguna."  
  
"Impressive," Seifer commented. "We're the first people to know his real name in about a century."  
  
"Do you guys. smell something?" Zell asked.  
  
Shiva took a deep breath, before her eyes widened in near panic. "It's smoke. He must have set the building on fire!"  
  
"We have to get out of here. Going downstairs again isn't an option," Squall said, looking around the room for an escape. "Looks like we'll have to use the window."  
  
"Lovely. I despise heights," Quistis mumbled, sliding the window up. "We'd better work quickly, though. There's smoke seeping into the room."  
  
"I'll go first!" Ifrit offered, putting on a daredevil grin. He jumped through the window and balanced on the roof below, before jumping to the roof of the next building. Shiva, Zell, Irvine, and a reluctant Quistis followed him. Rinoa climbed out next, with Squall right behind her. He squeezed her hand as he studied the nervous look on her face.  
  
"What if.?" she began.  
  
"Don't worry," he whispered to her. If you start to fall I'll catch you. I promise."  
  
She smiled back at him, then took a deep breath before jumping. She made it safely to the other side, much to Squall's relief.  
  
"You've become a real ladies' man, huh?" Seifer laughed, patting him on the back.  
  
"Whatever," was the only reply he got for Squall made his escape.  
  
Seifer was next to go, but he wasn't as lucky as the others. His foot caught on the gutter as he jumped, and he barely managed to grab on to the edge of the other roof. Squall, being the closest to the edge, grabbed him and pulled him up.  
  
"I should've just let you're sorry ass fall," he grumbled as they watched the building they were just in be engulfed in flames.  
  
"Let's just get out of here," Quistis mumbled. "I can't watch this anymore."  
  
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"So what happens now?"  
  
Squall sighed. "I don't know anymore. I just know I have to keep you away from the psycho."  
  
Rinoa frowned slightly at the thought. "Why? Why am I being hunted like this?"  
  
He let out a sigh and allowed his arms to tighten around her. There was a great fear threatening to swallow him now, threatening to cloud his judgment and scramble his thoughts. In so many years of existence, he had never really known fear. Of course there were always those childhood terrors that were born of shadows and fairy tale monsters that plagued the sleep of the young. But that was a kind of fear that was shed through adolescence, shunned by pride to never return again. Had he not been so reckless in his later years, he might have struggled with those chilling worries of death, and life gone awry, as most people did. He, however, knew no such worries. One who has nothing, fears nothing. Now, it was as if karma had caught up with him. He was now staring into the face of the greatest fear his imagination could never even comprehend. Squall never expected to have to worry about the welfare of another human being, living or dead. Now his life revolved around one woman, and he faced the possibility of losing her. These were the things real nightmares were made of.  
  
"Squall?" her small voice saved him from his dreary thoughts.  
  
"Sorry," he apologized quietly. "I didn't mean to slip into my thoughts again."  
  
She laughed slightly and shook her head. "It's okay. I know you have a lot on your mind right now. But maybe you should relax instead." She sat up from her comfortable position of lying with her back against him, and gave him one of those slow, sensual kisses he had come to treasure. "We have a whole night to ourselves, why don't we make the best of it. Unless, of course, you'd rather go catch up with Seifer."  
  
He shook his head slightly, taking firm hold of her hips as she sat up in his lap. "You think I'd rather spend time with the man I've been trying to avoid all my life than I would enjoying myself with you?"  
  
She laughed again, gently tracing his scar with her fingertip and listening to the gentle pattering of rain outside their hotel room. "You know, you never let me finish my sentence the other night," she mentioned cautiously, watching his face closely for his reaction.  
  
If she had expected fear, or nervousness, she was out of luck. There was only a look of slow acceptance, and understanding. "No, I guess I didn't. I got a little distracted. I guess," he paused for a moment, wondering if he was really ready to hear the words he had scorned all of his life, "you can tell me now."  
  
She propped herself up with her elbows on his chest and lost herself in the deep oceans of his eyes. "I love you, Mr. Reaper," she spoke softly, a tiny hint of humor in her serious voice. "If you're not-"  
  
"I love you, too," he interrupted, blurting out the words as they came to his lips.  
  
Her smiled widened, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears that were barely visible in the darkening room. The sun had set, and they hadn't bothered to turn on a light. It was just as well, Rinoa thought, as she leaned down again and engaged in a slow, but passionate kiss. He pulled her closer to him, hands roaming to all those places he had only recently discovered, and smiled as much as his occupied lips would allow when he heard her quiet moan of approval.  
  
She broke away reluctantly, but allowed her lips to hover over his as she spoke. "I didn't think you would say it," she said in a quiet, breathless voice.  
  
He kissed her briefly before replying, "I didn't think I would either. I guess we were both wrong."  
  
Whatever words she had prepared in response died on her lips as he kissed down her neck, and over her shoulder, pushing the collar of her shirt to one side. She sat up, suddenly frustrated at the restrictions the annoying piece of cloth put on her, and yanked it off before sinking back into her comfortable position. His concentration was focused solely on her, and now most of their nervousness had clamed, making the situation much less awkward. She unhooked her bra from behind, not bothering to sit up again, and let it slip off her shoulders. She ran her hands up his chest, feeling a thunderous pounding beneath his skin and muscles.  
  
"You still have a heartbeat," she pointed out.  
  
"I know," he responded softly, after taking a deep breath and swallowing hard from the feeling of her pressed so closely against him. "It's kind of hard not to notice right now."  
  
"Why?" she asked. "I thought the side affects were supposed to wear off after a few hours."  
  
He shook his head, sitting up and sliding his own shirt off before saying, "For once, let's not worry about it. I've got other things on my mind right now."  
  
She laughed, trailing a finger from the middle of his collarbone to just above the top of his pants. "For once, I have to agree with you."  
  
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The sky had become a swirling void of dark hued colors, dotted with sparkling specks of stars, and the town of Timber was mostly asleep, with the exception of a few. So silent and still was this small town that for a moment, she thought she didn't recognize it.  
  
How long since I've been here? she wondered. How many years have passed since I moved away with him, never once looking back on my home?  
  
Her feet kicked at loose stones along the path as her mind wandered over events long since passed. Her mother and father had never agreed to her betrothal to the journalist from the big city, so she had snuck out of her home one night, and the two had eloped. Unwilling to face her parents after such a decision, she left for Deling City, leaving only a letter of apology in her wake. Never once did she regret her decision, but she missed her parents, as well as her hometown terribly.  
  
My children have come here, I'm certain of it. I must find them, and see them. Protect them. I've walked so far, and searched so long. I must see them.  
  
Instinctually, she headed for the pub and apartment where she had spent her childhood. She would never forget its location, between a cluster of shops and an apartment complex. She spotted the complex right away, and recognized the cluster of shops nearby. But between the two, there was nothing but a charred, and still smoking, hollow and abandoned shell of a brick building. Could that truly have been the fate of the place she loved so much?  
  
Allowing a soft sob to escape her throat, she ran to the remains and collapsed before it, sinking her hands into the ashes and holding them tightly, as if to rebuild the dreams of youth that were now forever lost. She allowed her tears to fall, a gentle rainstorm over her face that could never entirely express her sorrow.  
  
She had nearly forgotten about her precious children in this unstoppable rush of pain that befell her, but her attention was caught immediately by the sound of heavy footsteps, and a presence that begged for her attention.  
  
"Hey, lady, you all right?" a tall, blonde-haired man asked, looking extremely uncomfortable in the position he suddenly found himself in.  
  
She looked up at him, wiping at the tears in her eyes with blackened hands as she studied him closely. She then uttered two words, in whisper, "My child."  
  
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A/N: Well, there you go. Sorry if this chapter was a little boring, it'll get faster paced in the next chapter. There're only about two or three chapter left, though. 


	14. Cry for Me

A/N: Well, I've been on vacation.. Actually, my muse was on vacation, I was just waiting for it to return. Anyway, here's the long-awaited second to last chapter of Executioner. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 14  
  
The steady, thunderous thumping was the first thing she heard as her mind rose from the depths of black unconsciousness. Strong, and in perfect rhythm, it was the beat of life itself, the pulsing of the very universe, and it made her smile. There was no greater comfort.  
  
"Hey there, beautiful," she heard a husky voice say.  
  
She smiled and snuggled closer to his chest. "Good morning, Mr. Reaper. Did you sleep well?"  
  
He ran a hand through her hair and laughed. "I didn't sleep much at all. You should know that."  
  
"I love you," she whispered quietly, part of her wondering if the words they spoke last night was just part of some wonderful dream.  
  
"I love you, too," he replied, with little hesitation. With each time he spoke his feelings, it became easier to do.  
  
"So, what should we do now?" Rinoa asked.  
  
"I can think of a few things," Squall began. At that moment a heavy knock sounded on the door.  
  
"Hey Squall, you up?"  
  
Squall sighed and stood from the bed, pulling on his boxers and staggering toward the door. "Yes, Seifer, I'm awake, and may I say, how lovely it is to awoken by your wonderful voice so early in the morning," he called, voice dripping with sarcasm as he unlocked the door and opened it. "What do you want?"  
  
"Something odd happened last night while I was walking around the town," Seifer replied.  
  
"You were abducted by aliens?" Squall asked with disinterest.  
  
"Cut the sarcasm, Leonhart. I found this woman. she has the scent of death upon her, and she seems, somehow familiar. She said. she said I was her child."  
  
Squall rolled his eyes. "Just because you stumbled across some old lunatic in the street-"  
  
"I let her sleep in my room last night," Seifer interrupted. Squall arched an eyebrow, and he shook his head vigorously. "No, no, not like that. I took the couch. The point is, in her sleep, she was whispering the name Laguna."  
  
"Did you ask her about it?" Squall asked.  
  
"No. I thought it might be best if you do it. Or maybe, we could all do it together. It could be a delicate situation after all. We can meet in my room in say. half an hour. What do you think?" Seifer asked.  
  
"Well, you just ruined my plans for the rest of the morning, but I guess so. You go get everyone else up. I've got other things to do."  
  
Seifer snorted. "Sure thing, Mr. Ladies' Man."  
  
Squall closed the door on his obnoxious 'friend' then turned back to the bed where his main interest was propped up comfortably on some pillows with a sheet wrapped around her. "Everything alright?"  
  
"We have to see a lady about a killer. but we still have half an hour to ourselves."  
  
Rinoa stretched. "I need a shower," she complained in mid-yawn. She then stood and headed for the bathroom, losing her sheet along the way, and stopped to throw a mischievous grin over her shoulder. "Care to take me up on the offer this time?"  
  
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\  
  
Nearly an hour later everyone was gathered in Seifer's room, with a very nervous stranger seated in the middle. Her faint blue eyes darted back and forth between Seifer and Squall, and a small smile touched her lips.  
  
"I've finally found my babies. My, you've grown up so fast," she murmured.  
  
"This is the same woman we came across the other day," Rinoa pointed out.  
  
"Yeah. so maybe she does know something. Excuse me, Ms?" Squall asked of her. "Do you know anything about a man named Laguna?"  
  
Her eyes widened, and she stood from her chair. "Is he here? I've not seen him in so long."  
  
"So you do know him?"  
  
"Yes, of course," she replied. "He is my husband after all. And you should know him as well. What kind of boy forgets his father?"  
  
"What?" Squall choked out. "My. father?"  
  
"Yes, he is your father. You both," she indicated to Squall and Seifer, "are his sons. My sons. I searched for you, in that darkness, and I felt you both, for a fleeting instant, and then you were gone again. Do tell me where you've been. Where I've been. How could you grow so old, in such a short time? I slept for only a night."  
  
"Both Seifer and I have been dead for at least a century, now," Squall told her gently. "Were you our mother, you must have passed away long before that. We never knew our mother, or our father."  
  
"I do not understand!" she cried. "What happened to my life? My family. all is lost. If it is true, that I've passed, then why am I here now? And you as well. I awoke from darkness, feeling the need to seek my children and protect them from some great evil. But why?"  
  
"There is a great evil threatening your sons," Rinoa answered. "Your husband Laguna has been trying to kill your sons since they were just boys, and succeeded, long ago. It was because of him that Squall lost." her voice trailed off.  
  
"Lost what?" the woman repeated. "I don't believe you. Laguna would never-"  
  
"I lost my eyesight because of him," Squall admitted, removing his sunglasses and moving closer to his so-called mother so that she could see for herself.  
  
"My word, you have lost your eyesight!" she exclaimed. "No, this was not the way I remembered your eyes when you were born. Perhaps you are right. By why?"  
  
"We don't know yet," Squall said. "Will you trust us, your own sons?"  
  
"Yes," she answered quietly.  
  
"By the way," Zell spoke up. "You got a name."  
  
The young woman giggled slightly. "Yes, I do. My name is Raine."  
  
"Well, what do we do?" Ifrit asked.  
  
"From what I could see in my visions, Laguna loved you very much, Raine," Rinoa said. "I get the feeling. this may all be for you. But I don't know how, or why. I don't know what I have to do with it."  
  
"Well, here's the deal. We'll split up into groups. Seifer, you'll take. Mom," Squall stated slowly, "to someplace safe, and watch over her. Don't let Laguna get near her, no matter what. I don't know what threat he poses to her, but I'm not taking any chances. Shiva, you'll go with him. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Irvine, you take Quistis, and Ifrit and look for Laguna in Deling City. If you find him, go for it. Zell, you'll go with Rinoa and me. We'll go to the train station, too and see if we can't get a train back to Deling City, in a different car. That was where this all started. I have a feeling that's where it will end."  
  
"Where do I take her, Squall?" Seifer asked.  
  
Squall thought for a long moment. "The dead should not walk among the living. Lost in the darkness. she must have been in purgatory, unable to pass on."  
  
"She couldn't pass on, because she wanted to take care of her children," Rinoa continued. "She died even before she could name one of them. Her soul was troubled, burdened with unfinished business. She must have felt them when they died, but couldn't find them because they did pass on. No, she feels a disturbance within the family she held so dear. her children are in danger, and this is her only chance to save them, to finish her business."  
  
Squall nodded in agreement. "As soon as Laguna has been dealt with, she must rejoin the world of the deceased once more, and pass on from this world. We found her on our way to Timber, and she'd never seen Fisherman's Horizon. She must've been buried somewhere between the two towns. Find out where, Seifer, and take her to her grave. This one man has upset the entire balance of living and dead. today, it ends."  
  
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"Where do we go once we reach Deling City?" Rinoa asked, as she lay sprawled out over the train seat.  
  
"Where would you feel the safest?"  
  
"I don't know. Somewhere familiar?"  
  
"Your apartment?"  
  
Rinoa sighed. "I really don't think it matters. I'd feel safe anywhere that you are."  
  
Squall looked at her and smiled. "Sometimes I think you say these things just to flatter me."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Sorry dear, but you're not that much of a charmer." She sighed, and her playful mood suddenly turned serious. "I was wondering. what happens when this is over?"  
  
Squall frowned, and was silent for a long moment. "I was always afraid of this happening. Of you and I getting close, then having to part when it was all over. But there's no turning back now, and I wouldn't want there to be. Once you're out of danger, I have to go back. I have a job to attend to. But. whenever you need me, I'll be there, no matter what."  
  
"Couldn't that get you fired?"  
  
"To be honest, I don't really care anymore. You're far more important to me than some job. And, as soon as I'm given the chance, I'm going to retire. I'll become. human, again."  
  
Rinoa smiled and crawled into his lap. "Okay, then. We'll go to my apartment. In the mean time, why don't we. enjoy each others company, until then?"  
  
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\  
  
A few hours passed, and Squall and Rinoa found themselves at the Deling City train station once more. Ifrit, Irvine, and Quistis were already on their way out, hoping for some kind of clue as to Laguna's whereabouts, when a news report on one of the station's televisions caught their attention.  
  
"We're standing here live in front of city hall where it is believed that a mass murderer is holding people hostage. Deling City police believe this could be the same mass murderer that struck the Deling City train station, as well as Balamb, and Dollet."  
  
"It must be Laguna's doing this time. Perhaps he's trying to lure us out," Quistis said.  
  
Irvine nodded. "Yeah, let's go get him. Squall's taking Rinoa to her apartment. They'll be safe."  
  
Meanwhile, Squall and Rinoa has already taken a cab to Rinoa's apartment, and were heading up to her floor.  
  
"Are you sure this is okay? I've got kind of a bad feeling about this," Rinoa murmured as the elevator slowly rose higher into the building.  
  
Squally sighed. "You were the one that suggested coming here. Besides, you heard that report on the radio coming over here. Laguna's at City Hall. I'm sure Irvine and the others are already on their way. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."  
  
Rinoa pushed open her door, which was still partially broken down from Laguna's initial attack. Everything seemed still and quiet. almost peaceful. It was as if the place had not been touched since they'd left that night, so long ago it seemed. Squall entered first, searching for any danger, and trusting his senses to warn him of any surprises. Rinoa walked in behind him, soundlessly, until she suddenly felt cold steel pressed against her neck, making her gasp in fear.  
  
Squall wheeled around, his heart seeming to stop at the sight before him. They had walked straight into a trap. it seemed so obvious now, why didn't he see it before?  
  
"Laguna, let her go!" Squall, taking a few steps closer.  
  
"I wouldn't if I were you," Laguna warned. "I would hate for your lovely girlfriend to go to waste. son." He spoke the last word in a mocking sneer.  
  
"It's me that you want. Leave her out of this."  
  
Laguna laughed. "I had always imagined you were the smart one of the two, Squall. What happened to that? She's the one I've been after all this time. Though, conveniently, hurting her will hurt you as well. Fate was in my corner this time. I can kill two hearts with one blade, so to speak."  
  
"You were supposed to be at City Hall.. Why didn't I sense you here?"  
  
"Distractions are easy enough to set up. I see, however, that you do not yet know the truth. You love this woman so much, yet you do not know what she's capable of. She, my boy, is the keeper of life. She can give it, and she can take it. She can see into anyone's lifetime, even if she's never known them. I've been seeking this power since the moment I learned of it. With her power, I can bring your mother to life again."  
  
"That still doesn't answer my question."  
  
Laguna smiled slowly. "You are a slow one, aren't you? I told you, she can give life, and she can take it. without even realizing it. You got close to her. and she gave you life, unknowingly. You are no longer among the dead, as you were. Now, your heart beats, your lungs crave air. And all your extra senses are gone. That is why, when I kill her, and steal her power, you will be left alone. Separated yet again. You will be forced to live out your life as a human, while she becomes a mere spirit. That is what I have suffered. Because of you."  
  
"Laguna. please don't." Squall words were choked out, as he suddenly found himself reduced to pleading for the one thing he needed the most.  
  
"Sorry, son," Laguna replied, and swiftly drew his blade across Rinoa's throat. Her body went limp in his arms, and a small, glowing orb left her body, only to be sucked into Laguna's.  
  
Squall fell to his knees on the floor, body shaking as his mind was clouded in pain and disbelief. It felt as if someone had stabbed him through the heart. He could feel the sharp, physical pain as Laguna dropped her body to the floor and left without a word, without a single word of remorse.  
  
Squall moved over to where Rinoa's body had fallen, and gently picked her up, cradling her in his arms, even as he was stained with her blood. He held her tightly, head rested against her shoulder as slow, warm tears feel from his eyes.  
  
(Once you cried for me) he thought. (Now.. I'm crying for you.)  
  
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A/N: Well, there you go. One last chapter left.  
  
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	15. Course of Life

A/N:  Last chapter, people.  Once this one is over with, I'll be starting a new fic so look for it, or whatever….  Oh, yeah, and to Seeifer's Incarnate that reviewed chapter 11 just this morning… if you have such a damn problem with my lemon, go write your own instead of criticizing other's!  

                                                                        Chapter 15

"Dead on the Inside I've got nothing to prove

Keep me alive and give me something to lose

Goodbye this time

Leaving you"

--- Foo Fighters "Come Back"

            _Life is the strangest thing… no matter how hard you try to comprehend it, you can never understand._

She tilted her head back, exposing her neck to his demanding kisses.  Both their shirts had been discarded and now lay wrinkled upon the floor, forgotten in the rush of pleasure and excitement that washed over their bodies as they began to engage in this act of love.  Each kiss was gentle, like the brush of a feather across one's skin, and his hands upon her body was like the caress of warm velvet.   

_ You walk the earth in a gray daze of ignorance and loneliness, seeing nothing but the path set out before you until something comes along… just one little thing that makes you feel like you've never felt before.  Like seeing the world for the first time… I may have regained my sight after death, but I never really saw a damn thing until her._

She was completely exposed now, her pale flesh taking on a rosy tint as she was left flushed and breathless by the things he did to her.  Strong but careful hands pulled her close and held her with love, and adoration while soft lips teasingly grazed her stomach.  She writhed beneath his tender assault on her angelic form, which he searched over every inch of it with his eyes. __

_ Just when you think you have the slightest grasp on things… just when you think you've found your salvation, it's torn from you, and you're plunged into a world of darkness once more.  It's so cruel… so painful.  I thought I knew the answers, now I don't know what to believe._

Her body trembled wildly against his, her desperate moans entwining with the rumbling of his growls and creating a melody that only they could ever share.  With every split second that passed they grew closer to their sacred destination, a culmination of every emotion that waited to be revealed.  That night was the night he told her he loved her, the night he opened his soul to her, after such a long time of keeping himself locked away from the world.  As she clung to his body, eyes crushed shut and lips parted in a final cry of ecstasy, he would never have guessed that it was the last night they'd ever have together.  

_  Nothing can replace the time we had together, and no matter what, it was still worthwhile.  But how can I ever let go?  How can I live, how can I be human now, without her?  All these questions, no hope for an answer… Laguna will pay for this with everything he has.        _

            "Are you sure he's okay?"

            Sharp, pale blue eyes turned to face the speaker, burning holes through his flesh for making such a thoughtless inquiry.  "What kind of stupid question is that?  Of course he's not alright," she hissed.  "Would you be 'alright' if you were him?"

            He shrugged.  "It was just a question," he whispered back.

            Quistis shot another disgusted look in Zell's direction before turning her attention back to Squall.  They stood at the front doors of the old stone chapel they'd visited only once before.  Squall had lain Rinoa on the steps leading up to the alter, and was kneeling next to her, with his back turned to his silent companions.  He had been this way for quite a while, every now and then reaching out to stroke his lover's face.  Her skin was cold and pale as porcelain, the life having seeped from her wound and stained the carpet of the church.  Her dark, shimmering locks made a perfect frame for her face, and spread over her shoulders like small raven wings.  She never looked more angelic that at that very moment.

            Slowly, as if afraid of the reaction she might receive, Quistis walked quietly over to Squall, and tapped him gently on the shoulder.  "We still have to stop Laguna," she pointed out.

            The soft look upon his face evaporated beneath the force of his rage.  Quistis would almost have sworn that his eyes had turned black, and he'd grow seven foot tall in that single instance.  She understood suddenly why he had been chosen to be the reaper.  There seemed to be some kind of inner darkness working at his core that shone through his eyes like a warning that there would be no mercy in his message of death.

            Before another word could be spoken, a bright light flashed through the church, and Irvine appeared in the center aisle.  Squall looked to him, hope lighting up his eyes once more.

            "They agreed to return your powers to you.  In fact, they believe your old powers are the only thing that will be able to take down Laguna.  However, you do have to give up your life in order to regain those powers.  As for transferring the life force, giving your life for hers… that has yet to be decided upon."

            "So I could give up my life, and gain my powers back, but the life force might go to waste?" Squall concluded.

            "Basically," Irvine replied.  "I don't really see any other way.  I mean, giving up your life is the only chance, I'm afraid.  We need your powers."

            Squall turned once more, facing his fallen angel, and heaved a heavy sigh.  "You're right.  I don't have much choice.  One way or the other, it's a risk I have to take.  So, this is how it will happen.  I will go to find Seifer and my mother.  That's where Laguna will go next, if he isn't there already.  Irvine… you'll stay here with Rinoa.  Don't allow anyone to lay a finger on her.  Quistis, Zell…. It doesn't matter much what you do now.  Go with me, if you like, or stay here with Irvine…"

            "What do you think… would be best?" Quistis asked as Squall started for the double-arched doors.

            He stopped in his tracks and turned his head ever-so-slightly toward the sound of her voice, glaring at her through the corner of a silvery blue eye.  "If you go, then I warn you… You may see things that may make you wish you didn't.  Laguna will feel pain… he will stare into the face of terror… before the mercy of destruction claims him…"

            Irvine adjusted his hat with a sigh and cocked his rifle.  "Through the heart?" he asked.  Upon seeing his nod, he took aim, and fired, the lead bullet piercing its intended target.  He didn't turn around, not even as the blood seeped into his black trench coat and his wounded heart ceased to beat.  His shoulders stiffened as he drew in his last breath, and he shook slightly as the familiar power returned to him.  Were he still capable of tears, he believed he would've cried at that moment.  Even if Rinoa was given life again, as he had hoped, she'd lost her power to give life… he would never again be able to feel her touch, her breath upon his neck, or her body heat pressed so closely against him.  He stood still for a long moment, eyes closed as he felt her presence nearby.  At least, there would still be that…

            Forcing his thoughts to Laguna's destruction, he forced himself to step away from his sole reason for existence, and left her behind.

            (Only for a little while)

            He let the doors slam shut behind him, before closing his eyes and searching for Seifer's presence with his mind.  Traveling would be a lot easier now, as he could move with the speed of thought if he were so inclined.  He discovered him between Timber and F.H. just as he expected he would.

            (I will make Laguna suffer…. For you, Rinoa…)

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            He sat beneath the shelter of a tree, the long, stiff branches shielding him from the overcast sky.  In the distance, he could hear thunder rumbling through the clouds in an angry and ominous sign of things to come.  Still, none of it seemed to make any difference to her.  She wandered bare-foot and smiling through the grassy field, finger tips gently grazing the petals of the tall flowers as the furious winds rippled her skirt and danced in her hair.  She showed no fear of the on-coming storm, but instead seemed to welcome it as a fun and exciting challenge.  She seemed the picture of innocence, despite all she'd been through.

            It was hard to believe that they were related.  She refused even to pick the flowers, as she wanted to preserve their lives… he on the other hand, had thrown more lives away than he could remember.  He suddenly wondered what she would think of him if she knew all that he'd done.

            "I can't speak for her, but I know what I think of you," he heard a voice answer his thoughts from behind him.

            He turned to find his rival… no, his brother standing behind him, his eyes steadily following the path of the young, care free woman that seemed so close to his heart without him ever even knowing her.  "Reminds you of her, doesn't she?" Seifer asked, knowing that it was a low shot, but not caring at the moment.

            Squall glared at him for such a length of time that it made Seifer begin to feel uncomfortable.  "I could be furious… I could be angry.  But I'm not.  In fact, I pity you.  Yes, she reminds me of Rinoa.  And I'm glad she does.  It makes it that much easier to love her, without knowing her.  But you… you have never known love, and at this rate, you never will.  I suppose it means nothing to you…"

            Seifer wanted to laugh it off, or reply with some witty remark, but he found himself unable.  "They still live, even if it's not as a mortal," he said finally.

            "It doesn't matter. We know that, but their families don't.  I know that imagining what kind of torment you put their loved ones through is beyond you, but you at least could have tried to consider… the kind hole of you left in their lives…"

            The corners of Seifer's mouth dipped in a deep frown.  "Eventually their loved ones will die as well, and then they'll know the truth," he replied defensively.

            "They will never feel the touch of their loved one's hand again… they will never again shed tears in joy or pain… death isn't as bad as it may seem.  But life is the greatest gift anyone could ever have, as corny it sounds."

            Seifer snorted.  "Did you get that out of a greeting card?"

            "Whatever," Squall retorted.  "Just tell me one last thing.  Why did you do it in the first place?"

            "For the reason I said I did.  To free the world of sinners."

            "Every human is a sinner.  Tell me the truth."

            "It is the truth.  I wanted to free the world of sinners… of people like our father."

            "Our father was…" Squall struggled to explain it, until Seifer interrupted him.

            "Our father was corrupted by his own delusions of hate.  It wasn't really our fault that our mother died, but he needed someone to place the blame on.  You should know by now, that different people have different ways of grieving death.  That was his.  He convinced himself that it was not fate, but evil that took his love.  Love is a sin, the way I look at it.  If he never loved, he never would have killed us… without love, there would be no hate.  Don't you understand now?  His love of her life meant our death."

            Squall shook his head.  "If anything you produced even more Laguna's.  You took from them their love… now they will find something, someone to blame.  You said so yourself.  Such is the course of death."

            Seifer heaved another sigh.  "It can't be undone now."

            "No," Squall agreed.  "It can't be.  But it can at least be remembered and repented."

            With those parting words, Squall walked away from him, with no intention of ever exchanging words with him again.  Seifer would need all the quiet he could get anyway.  He had many of his own demons to face.  Instead, he crossed the field to where his mother stood, watching the swirling gray clouds with a look of utter fascination.

            Raine turned to him with a content smile on her face.  "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

            A small smile tugged at Squall's lips.  "I guess… if you like stormy days."

            "I certainly do like stormy days.  It reminds me of when you and Seifer were born.  That… that was the last thing I remember about life," she said, only a small hint of sadness in her voice.  "Any day, sunny or rainy… any day is wonderful to me.  Does that seem strange to you?"

            Squall studied the gentle smile upon her face before replying.  "No, that doesn't seem strange at all."

            Her smile grew, but then faded slightly as she stared into the eyes of her son.  "Your face shows no emotion, but your eyes are clouded with agony.  You miss her?  Well, of course you do.  That's a dumb question."  She considered for a moment then opened her arms to the helpless looking man in front of her.  He watched her for a long moment before finally moving closer and allowing her to embrace him.

            "You know what I have to do to him, right?" Squall asked quietly.

            She nodded, her frail body trembling.  "I know.  I understand.  I can't imagine anything harder, than to be caught between your soul mate, and your children.  But he took your life, and the life of the woman you loved.  He caused my babies pain… he's not the same man I knew before, and I can't allow him to continue to cause you pain.  I'll always have my memories of him, at least."

            "Memories…" Squall murmured, briefly closing his eyes.  Is that truly all he would have left of Rinoa now?

            "It's not so bad," he heard her say.  "Life is built of memories, after all."

            (Is that why she saw my memories so often?  Every time she breathed another ounce of life into me, she saw into my past.  Is that why?)

            Raine tightened her grip on him.  "He's coming," she rasped out in a pained whisper.  "I believe that as soon as he is gone, and I know that you and Seifer are no longer in danger, that I will pass on, as you said.  So… this may be the last time we see each other for a long time.  I know your job will keep you busy."

            Squall frowned.  "You know about that?"

            She nodded.  "Seifer told me.  Don't worry, it's not like I disapprove or anything.  Everyone must go at some point.  They should at least be taken from earth by someone who understands the cycle of life and death, and the pain it brings.  Who knows… maybe we will see each other again.  Maybe you'll get to see Rinoa, though I know that the chances are slim.  Until we see each other again, though… remember that though I've only truly known you for a short time, I love you very much."

            Squall took a deep breath, and decided he would do what Rinoa would've wanted him to do.  He opened up.  "I love you, mom…"

            Raine nodded, wishing that she could release her joy in shimmering tears.  "I must go say goodbye to Seifer now… be strong, Squall."

            Squall watched as she left him behind, climbing up the hill to the tree where Seifer sat.  His attention was suddenly drawn elsewhere, however, as he felt the presence of Rinoa's murderer.  Laguna stepped into the open field, a wicked grin twisting his face into something unrecognizable to his former wife.

            "Step aside, Squall," he said, taking a few steps toward him.  I'm going to bring Raine back to me."

            Squall stood tall in his path.  "You killed her… you killed her to achieve a dream that could never be…"

            Laguna stopped and narrowed his eyes.  "What do you mean by that?"

            "Your dream will never be reality… I won't let it.  You're not the man she loved anymore.  She won't go with you.  You allowed yourself to be corrupted, turned to the darkness.  This is the end of your line."

            For a moment, Squall would almost have sworn he saw a glimmer of sadness and remorse in the darkly sinister eyes of his father, but it was gone just as fast as it came.  "She was a beautiful girl, you know," he responded in sick humor.  "She would've made the perfect whore for you."

            Laguna began to walk away, the rumble of his laughter matching the sound of the thunder.  He was completely confident that his mission would be fulfilled.  After all, he was already dead, what more could possibly happen?  And even still, he left his son rooted to the spot, eyes closed and shoulders stiffened.  He supposed it was in an attempt to keep from crying like a baby.

            Suddenly, a streak of lightening cracked the sky, and he turned just in time to see his son's eyes snap open.  No longer where they the clear, heavenly blue that they'd been since childhood, but his eyes now took on a murderous red glow.

            Laguna forced a smirk on to his face.  "That's a neat little trick.  Is it supposed to scare me into submission?"

            "There will be no mercy…" Squall growled out in a voice that he never would've thought could be his.  He slowly raised a gloved hand to the stricken Laguna.

            The sky seemed to pulse with the pounding of an angry heart.  Squall could almost feel the thumping within his chest where his heart had once been.  The wind picked up, thrashing everything in the area with a ferocity that mirrored the angered reaper perfectly.  Nothing would be spared… no regret would be felt.  The sun had faded from his life and now the blackness was quickly closing in.  Nothing would be saved… not even himself.

            The clouds swirled in a circle, the center churning right above Squall's head, as cracks formed in the ground, ripping apart the earth between him and the source of his hatred with a roaring cry like that of a damned soul.  Black tendrils reached up from the glowing crimson light that shown from within the crevasses in the ground and wrapped themselves firmly around Laguna's limbs, holding him tightly in the true grip of death himself.  Laguna's seemingly living captors lurched forward, bringing their prisoner closer and closer to his punisher.  Squall would not only destroy him… he would devour his soul.

            Laguna was close now.  So close that Squall could sense both the fear and evil pouring from him.  He narrowed his eyes as he felt the demented specter pass through his body, and disappear from existence.  Their souls seemed to meld into one, and visions passed before Squall's eyes.

            He saw a young woman, with long brow hair clearing off a table in a pub before slowly raising her eyes to meet with his until he felt butterflies in his stomach, and heat spread over his face.  He now watched the same girl running and laughing in a field of flowers, as he felt a feeling that brought one name to mind.

            (Rinoa…)

            In the distance he heard the screaming of babies, but kept his eyes locked on the tired eyes of the woman before him, until they closed for the last time.  An over-whelming anguish filled his heart, and once again, a single name came to mind.  He kept watching, as time sped away, until he was standing over the body of a fallen man, a smoking rifle in his arms.  There was a crazy sense of justice, as well as a feeling of deep remorse that begged to be set free from it's oppression.  That regret had been suppressed so long, that eventually it faded away, leaving only hatred and a vague uncertainty in its place.

            Now, hands fumbled for a pistol that was hidden within a drawer.  He climbed out of his bed and stumbled into the bathroom, before peering into the cracked mirror.  Long, black tangles on hair fell in his face, and blood shot eyes stared into the reflective glass.  He was seeing through Laguna's eyes…

            (All the feelings he felt… how could they be the same as what I'm feeling now?  Could it be… that if I give in to my hatred now, I will become exactly what I despise most?)

            "Squall!"

            He heard her voice calling his name desperately.  She wanted to stop him…

            An almost painful jolt wracked his body, and suddenly he was aware of the rain pelting his skin, and of the burning inside his chest…

            (Right where my heart used to be.)

            Another jolt ran through him, and he exhaled, a puff of blue, smoke-like substance escaped from his lips.  It made a terrible screeching sound as it was drawn into the cracks of the ground, where the now freed soul would await the judgment of a higher power.

            (I let him free… for you, Rinoa…)

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            It was raining over Deling City when everyone gathered inside the chapel where Irvine, Quistis, and Zell had guarded Rinoa.  As was expected, Raine had disappeared after Laguna's soul had been taken.  Now, it was back down to the regular group.  

            A bright, white light appeared in the center of the room again, and from it stepped a cheerful, smiling face accompanied by a hair-do that defied gravity.  "Hi, everyone!  I'm Selphie Tilmitt, Squall's administrator.  Now that your mission has been completed, more or less, I have final orders for each of you.  Shiva, Ifrit, you two have earned yourselves a worry free vacation on earth… in a human body.  You have two weeks of carefree human fun to enjoy, starting now!  Irvine, you're to be starting a new mission immediately.  You'll come back with me.  Zell… Congratulations!  You earned your wings!"

            "Wow, and I didn't even really have to do anything!" Zell exclaimed, getting excited.

            "Yep, but we gave you your wings anyway," Selphie replied.  "Okay, let's see… Seifer…. You've got about half a century of purgatory ahead.  But don't worry, it'll go by pretty fast, if you behave.  Quistis… have a good life!  And finally, Squall," Selphie sighed before continuing.  "It seems that the big guy upstairs would like to see you."

            "Is he in trouble?"  Seifer asked.

            "I don't know, honestly."

            "And Rinoa?"  Squall asked, his voice choking slightly as he gazed upon his angel.

            "I don't know anything about that, either, I'm afraid.  I just have my orders to pass down to you.  Come on everyone."

            Irvine, Zell, and Seifer followed Selphie into the portal she created.  Squall paused just outside the portal and looked to Shiva and Ifrit.  "You two… watch after her, until I return."

            "But what if…" Ifrit began but trailed off a Shiva elbowed him in the stomach.  

            "Go ahead, don't worry about a thing," Shiva said, nodding for Squall to go on.

            Squall took a deep breath and entered through the portal, feeling it close behind him.  He found himself once more in the blank white lobby that had seemed so familiar before.  Selphie walked over to him, smiling gently in an attempt to lighten his spirits.  "I have some good news.  They've decided to restore Rinoa's life."

            Squall eyes widened, and he laughed in relief.  "She's gonna be alright… then we can be…"

            "I hate to burst your bubble," Selphie interrupted, "but I don't want you to get you hopes up, only to have them crushed.  You have to meet with the big guy first…"

            "I… I may not ever get see her again," Squall realized.

            "I'm sure things will be fine," Selphie offered.  "Now just take the elevator up to the top floor.  They're expecting you."

            Squall did as he was told, trudging wearily to the elevator and taking it up to the top floor.  He hated to admit it, but he really was scared.  What was to become of him now?  He had done so many things wrong.  At least, he decided, Rinoa would be all right.  Even if he never got to see her again, at least she had another chance at life.

            The elevator doors slid open as the high-pitched 'ding' signaled his arrival.  With a heavy spirit he crossed the mostly empty lobby, pausing at the small desk near the huge double-arched doors.  Upon the young girls nod, he pushed the doors open, waiting until he heard them slam shut behind him before he continued on.

            He was surrounded by infinite black, and seemed to be standing on air.  He took a few steps forward, each step echoing loudly through the dark abyss.  Uncertain of his destination, he continued forward, peering down through the invisible trail below him.  Beneath him, every color ever imaginable swirled in an endless, and beautiful torrent, and the air was thick with lone music notes, each one haunting and lovely in its singularity.  Before him, a bright light appeared from the darkness, and he knew for certain who, and what it was.  These were the things life was made of.  Colors, and sounds, light and darkness.  The heavenly creator flooded the barren earth with these things, and human souls then came, adding their memories to the concoction that was existence and weaving the intricate web of the universe itself.

            _You broke the rules… You became attached to her.  _

            Squall listened to the voice that could not be heard, but rather felt, in his mind.  "I know," he replied.  "It was never my intention to, but I…"

            _Couldn't help yourself?_

He let loose a nervous laugh.  "I guess that's what I meant to say… but it sounds like a lame excuse now, doesn't it?  If I may ask… what will become of me now?"

            He was alarmed to hear the thundering of laughter erupt from nowhere and everywhere at once.  Even the darkness itself to seemed to shake with it.

            _Do you really think I would punish you for loving?  Such was my intention all along.  I just wanted to congratulate you on discovering the meaning of life that so many people search for._

"The meaning of life?" he repeated.

            _The meaning of life… is to live.  It's that simple, but humans always want to make it so complicated.  The world is filled with pain and suffering, but there is happiness and love there as well.  The point is to take all that you can get.  To feel something is better than feeling nothing.  To experience both laughter and tears… to feel and learn and do as much as you can.  That is the point._

"So… I am to continue with my job now?"

            _No… I have better plans for you.  You, Squall Leonhart, will be returning to earth as a twenty-year-old human.  There, you will live with the woman you love, and procreate.  Teach your children to be good people, and help others whenever you can.  That is all.  Goodbye, Squall Leonhart.  It will be quite a while before we meet again._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

            Dazzling sunlight streamed in through the window, and sheer white curtains parted in the gentle summer breeze.  A lazy groan escaped from beneath a thin white sheet, followed by a shuffling sound, and a loud thump as a heavy body slipped from the bed and fell to the floor, still tangled in the sheet.

            A young, raven-haired woman sat up, surprised at suddenly finding herself uncovered.  She propped herself up at the edge of the bed and smiled down at the glimmering blue eyes that stared up at her from below.

            "Sometimes I still forget that I don't have the whole bed to myself."

            She laughed aloud, saying, "I wish you could've seen your face!"

            "Ha, ha, ha…" he mumbled, before grabbing hold of her wrists and pulling her down on top of him.  "There, now we're even."

            She giggled and leaned in to capture his lips in a passionate kiss.  Just as her lips were brushing his, she pulled away slightly.  "How do you feel about children?"

            "They're noisy, why do you ask?"

            She frowned.  "Well, if you don't like children, you shouldn't try so hard to make them."

            He sighed contentedly, and ran a hand through her hair.  "You know I love you more than anything, Rinoa.  And if we had a child I would love it just as much.  Besides… I was told to procreate, you know."

            Rinoa rolled her eyes.  "Yeah, sure, that's your excuse.  You drag me into the bedroom three or four times a day because you were told to procreate."

            "I never heard any complaints from you before," Squall replied.  "Quite the contrary in fact.  Besides, as humans we only get to walk the earth for a short amount of time.  So I'm asking you… to help me experience life to the fullest…"

            She laughed and gave him a gentle kiss.  "Okay, then… I'm ready, and willing… to experience life with you…"

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A/N:  Well, I know it was kinda corny at the end… okay, really corny and mushy throughout, but… what thinks you of the end, my fair readers?  *sniffle*  I can't believe it's over!  I've been writing this thing for over a year now!  It was fun… So, go read my other stories, please?!  I had some big, long speech planned out here, but… I forgot so, with these closing words on this story, I thank you all for taking the time to read it.  Thanks, people!!  

                        


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